Sky Full of Stars
by madds098
Summary: 100 delinquents are sent to the ground to test if the Earth is survivable. Casady Lima didn't expect to live for the journey, let alone meet a sister she never knew she had and a boy she'd fall in love with.
1. Pilot

**A/N: Here's another story I've been working on lol I hope you like it!  
Disclaimer: I only own my character: Casady**

* * *

I wake up to loud shouting. My back is sore from being cramped into the corner of my small cell, sleeping straight up with nothing but my own body warmth. Guards had taken my bed as a consequence for fighting another guard. But I never cried and I never apologized. From what I've experienced, it's not worth it.

I slowly stand myself up, hearing a few cracks in my joints as I stretch out. I walk towards the door. It opens abruptly. I jump back, startled but regain a stone hard face when I see it's just some guard. Over his shoulder, I can see other guards with prisoners locked into their hands. I look back to the officer standing in front of me. He is slightly taller than me, bald, holding his gun prepared to shoot if necessary.

"Prisoner 326," he says. Two other guards follow him through the door. Are they here in case I try and resist what they're about to do? "Come with me."

"What's this about?" I ask, not moving.

The guard looks back at his colleagues and nods my way. The two behind the main guard walk in my direction. When the first one grabs my hand, I punch his face with my free hand. I bring my leg up to kick him in the stomach. He stumbles away from me. The other guard slams me against the wall and snaps my wrists in handcuffs behind me back.

They shove me outside of the cell where other prisoners are being held captive. They stand in line, waiting for something. But what? I have never seen anything like this before. Was someone killed? Are we on trial? Probably not. Killing someone would be a gift to the government of the ark. So what is the big deal?

* * *

 **THIRD PERSON POV**

"Mom?" Clarke stands up from where she was previously sketching away on the cement prison floor. She listens to the chaos coming from outside her own cell. "What's going on? What is this?" Visitation wasn't today. Her mom wouldn't be here unless it was something important. "They're killing us all, aren't they, reducing population to make more time for the rest of you?"

"We don't have much time," Abby speaks. She motions to the guards to give her and her daughter some privacy. They walk away. "Clarke, you are not being executed. You're being sent to the ground, all 100 of you."

"The ground?" Clarke nearly shouts. "But it's not safe! We get reviewed at 18!"

"The rules have changed. This gives you a chance to live. Your instincts will tell you to take care of everybody else first, just like your father, but be careful. I can't lose you, too. I love you so much." There's a loud knock on the door. Abby jumps and squeezes her eyes shut. Her heart races as she thinks about sending her daughter to possibly die.

"Mom-"

"This is our only chance of survival." The door opens. The guards stand there with their hands behind their back, revealing that their time is up. Abby leans in for a hug and squeezes Clarke tight. Clarke stands in shock. Going to the ground? She was surprised, scared, and interested all at the same time. Abby pulls back and holds both of Clarke's hands. "I believe in you, Clarke. You're gonna save the people." Abby steps back. "Till we meet again."

Abby leaves and the guards follow her out, shutting the door behind them. Clarke opens her fists. A small piece of paper is crumpled in her hands from her mom. Her hands shake as she opens it.

 _"_ _Protect Casady Lima. She is your sister."_

* * *

 **CASADY'S POV**

They snap a thick black bracelet around my wrist. It stings at first as something pokes through my skin. The kid next to me with straight brunette hair, dark skin, and smaller eyes hisses at the sudden pinch.

"Any idea where they are taking us?" I ask the kid as the guards move down the row.

He looks over his shoulder before saying, "I overheard them talk about the ground."

"We're going to the ground!" I nearly shout. His eyes go big. People around us whisper. My heart begins beating fast. Was this my adrenaline running or am I scared? Why are my hands shaking? "Sorry," I say a lot quieter. "Why are they sending us down there?"

"I don't know," He shrugs. "I'm Monty."

"Casady," I grin. "How long have you been in here for?"

"Not long. My friend Jasper and I got caught stealing herbs from medical. He forgot to replace what we took. My parents grow all the pharmaceuticals."

"Prisoners, please proceed forward," the loud intercom reigns throughout the hallways.

Monty and I follow the crowd. Soon, we find Jasper. Envy runs through me as I see how close Monty and Jasper are even after being stuck in hell for who knows how long.

I look around for Octavia, my best friend that I made while I was trapped in a small box for almost two years now. I would even consider her to be my best friend. Is she coming with us? If so, then where is she?

The guards sit us in a large pod. Exactly 100 seats, red leather with seat belts designed in an 'X' shape. Once everyone is seated and strapped in, the door shuts with a loud bang. I squeeze my belt tightly in my hand as I prepare myself for take off.

A couple of minutes later and we're rocking through space roughly. I bounce in my seat, rocking back and forth. For a second, I think I'm going to get sick. By the first hour, we travel smoothly. My nerves calm and the vicinity becomes calmer too.

A TV screen statics to life. Chancellor Jaha's face slowly appears. People around me boo at the sight. Can't say I blame them either. He's the reason we're all in this mess...well and our lack of self control. But it is easier to blame him.

"Prisoners of The Ark, here me now. You've been given a second chance, and as your Chancellor, it is my hope that you see this as not just a chance for you, but a chance for all of us, indeed for mankind itself. We have no idea what is waiting for you down there. If the odds of survival were better, we would've sent others. Frankly, we're sending you because your crimes have made you expendable."

"Okay, ouch," I say. Monty gives me a giggle.

"Your dad is a dick, Wells," Someone says. Wells is on this rocket? Wells is the chancellor's son. It would make zero sense for him to be sent to Earth. He was not even locked up in the first place. I push my head forward to look for him but he's out of sight.

"Those crimes will be forgiven," Jaha continues, "Your records wiped clean."

"At least we can die with a clean record," Jasper snickers.

"The drop site has been chosen carefully. Before the last war, Mount Weather was a military base built within a mountain. It was to be stocked with enough non-perishables to sustain 300 people for up to two years."

Later, a daredevil unbuckles himself from his seat. The loss of gravity has him floating around the drop ship. He flies above the rest of us. Other kids follow his lead and float around too. I have a bad feeling settling in my stomach.

"Spacewalk bandit strikes again. Go, Finn! Check it out." Someone cheers the guy on, now known as Finn.

Finn looks at Wells and smirks, "Your dad floated me after all."

Okay, that was funny.

"You should strap in before the parachutes deploy," Wells says.

A girl below me shouts at Finn and the two others to sit back down in their seats. Finn only mocks her and continues swaying in air.

"Mount Weather is life. You must locate those supplies immediately," Chancellor Jaha says.

Finn says to the girl, "Hey, you're the traitor who's been in solitary for a year."

After hearing Finn, I push myself forward to see who she was because I have heard about her through other prisoners. I only catch a glimpse of blonde hair.

"Who is that?" I ask Jasper and Monty.

"Her name is Clarke Griffin," Monty answers. "She's Wells's best friend."

Clarke snaps back, "You're the idiot who wasted a month of oxygen on an illegal spacewalk."

"Your one responsibility is to stay alive," Jaha says. I can't help but scoff. The only reason he and the rest of the council want us to survive is so that they can also come down to Earth and control us again.

Then, the ship hits another bumpy road. Finn crashes into the wall. People shout. The other kids crash into other kids, walls, and seats. Chaos explodes. People scream, others argue.

I grip my seatbelt until my knuckles turn white and squeeze my eyes tight. Electricity sparks from newly broken wires. If it weren't for the seat belts we would all be dead. Screams. Shrieks. That's all I hear, until I hear nothing.

When I open my eyes, its calm again. I feel no source of movement. Other people around me begin to wake up too. The main door is still closed. Are we here? Did we actually make it? I unbuckle myself and jump down to the second floor.

"The outer door is on the lower level," A boy a couple seats down from me says. "Let's go."

A blonde who looks about my age has two fingers pressed against a passed out dude's neck. She looks over at the daredevil with an accusing glare. "He's gone. That's on you."

"That's Clarke," Jasper whispers in my ear. But I can't focus on the girl, I can only see the dead body.

One dead. We haven't even opened the doors yet and our number has gone from 100 to 99. I look at the dead boy. He has a large gash in his head from where he crashed into the wall. He must have died from head truama.

Clarke finds my eye and hers grow big. She stares me down for a couple of seconds. I was about to call her out on it too until someone yells to open the door.

"No, we can't just open the doors," Clarke turns and points her finger.

"Hey, just back it up, guys," A deep voice pushes through the crowd.

"Stop. The air could be toxic," Clarke says again.

"If the air is toxic, we're all dead anyway," I say from the upper level. Monty elbows me to shut up. I press my lips into a thin line. Whoops.

"Bellamy?" A girl about my age and size steps out of the crowd and looks at the owner of the deep male voice. I can't see her face because her back is to me.

His smile spreads when he sees the girl. "My god, look how big you are."

She asks why he is in a guard's uniform. I look him up and down and suddenly become frozen, uncomfortable, and irritated. I thought I was free for only a few seconds.

"I borrowed it to get on the drop ship," The man said. Oh, so he wasn't even a criminal? "Someone has to keep an eye on you."

"Boyfriend?" I ask. I'm not shy. At least not anymore. Prison really does change a person. Monty gives me glare once again.

"Ew gross," The girl makes a face but she doesn't take her eyes off the man named Bellamy. "Brother."

"No one has a brother," Someone calls out.

"She's the girl hidden in the floor!" Someone else says.

The girl was about to step forward to start something she might regret, but her brother, Bellamy, holds her back. "Octavia. Octavia. Don't give them something like that to remember you by."

Octavia! Octavia! My friend that I haven't seen. Thank god. I was beginning to think something happened to her. But she's safe on the ground. How did I not recognize her sooner?

Wait, she has a brother?

"Yeah like what?" She questions.

"Like being the first person on the ground."

Octavia nods and steps forward before anyone can stop her.

"Octavia, wait!" I yell, but she doesn't hear me. Her brother does though and sends me a deathly glare.

She's out in the open and I hold my breath in anticipation. She takes in a breath of fresh air while the rest of us hold our own as we watch her possibly take her last. She exhales and smiles wide. She looks up to the sky and exclaims, "We're back bitches!"

* * *

Around me are people hugging celebrating that the earth is survivable and we made it down alive. I stand next to the blonde who stared me down in the drop ship. While watching the cheery faces of everyone, I compare my life to what it could be on Earth to what it was on the Ark. A smile spreads on my face when I think about liberty, happiness, and alone time.

"Wow," I mumble to myself. The ground is brown with a layer of green grass I have read about in books. Astoundingly tall trees reach for the blue sky and white clouds. Flowers, bushes, and runaway leaves bristle musically against each other as they dance with the wind. No one can believe their eyes.

Finn walks up to me and Clarke. Her name means more to me now because her mother is the Ark's number one doctor.

Finn smirks at Clarke, "Why so serious princess? It's not like we died in a fiery explosion."

"Try telling that to the two guys who tried to follow you out of their seats," Clarke snaps. I whistle and look in a different direction, not wanting to be on the receiving end of that tone.

Finn bites his lip but doesn't let down his confident attitude, "You don't like being called Princess, do you, Princess?"

Clarke points to the sky. Outlines of mountains behind transparent fog is what she indicates to. "We need to get to Mount Weather. There's a radiation-soaked forest between us and our next meal. They dropped us on the wrong damn mountain."

Clarke walks away to deal with something else. Anyone can see through her eyes that her mind is running at one hundred miles an hour. I know for sure, I don't want to get in the way of that.

"Casady!" I turn around when I hear my name.

Octavia sprints towards me. Her long hair wraps around her face when she jumps into my arms. I stumble back, loud cackles of laughter erupt from within me. A friend. She jumps down from my arms.

"I was so afraid I was never going to see you again," Octavia says.

"Yeah, I've gotten in some trouble with the guards recently. But obviously that doesn't matter anymore," I smirk. "I never knew you had a brother," I point to Bellamy who had been staring me down since the second Octavia jumped me. Like I am a threat. I wave at him with a sarcastic grin.

"Was that you who asked if he was my boyfriend?" Octavia laughs out loud. It's a true genuine laugh that I have not heard in awhile. "Why am I not surprised? You never did have a filter, did you?"

"Not that I can remember," I smirk and push her shoulder back playfully.

Bellamy starts walking over to us. Octavia grins, "Yeah well I'm not used to talking about Bellamy out loud since I was locked up in a floor for most of my life."

"We've all been through something," I say trying to make her feel better. But guilt floods through me as I think of what she must have physically and mentally gone through. "Some just have it worse than others."

"Bell," Octavia starts when her brother includes himself into conversation. He has long messy hair that falls over his forehead. He's built, strong arms and a toned stomach that is clear now that he lost the guards jacket. "This is Casady. She was my best friend on the Ark."

Bellamy clenches his jaw, looking me up and down. Although hostile towards me, he holds out his hand for me to shake. When I do, his hand squeezes mine tighter than necessary. I don't show surprise or pain on my face. What's his problem? I haven't even said a word to him yet.

Octavia looks between the two of us. "Bellamy, what's your problem?"

Before he or I could open our mouths, our attention turns to Clarke, Wells, Finn, and a few others arguing. The three of us make our way over to see what was going on. Clarke is holding onto a map, following her finger to the path that will take us to Mount Weather. But since Wells, the Chancellor's son, is involved, people are going to take a hit wherever they can. If you can't get mad at the Chancellor, get mad at the next best thing.

"They got a bar in this town?" Jasper walks up with a smile and nudges me with his shoulder. "I'll buy you a beer."

"You mind?" Wells snaps at Jasper.

"Whoa!" Jasper holds his hands up in surrender.

"Hey, chill out," I tell Wells. "He's with us."

"Relax," Wells says to the people around him. "We're just trying to find out where we are."

"We're on the ground," Bellamy states. "That not good enough for you?"

Damn with the attitude.

"We need to find Mount Weather. You heard my father's message. That has to be our first priority."

"Screw your father. What, you think you're in charge here, you and your little Princess?"

Clarke clenches her fists before speaking, "Do you think we care who's in charge? We need to get to Mount Weather not because the Chancellor said so, but because the longer we wait, the hungrier we'll get and the harder this'll be. How long do you think we'll last without those supplies? We're looking at a twenty-mile trek, okay? So if we want to get there before dark, we need to leave now."

Clarke is right. Yeah the air around us is clean but that's not enough to live off of. We need food, water, and medicine. It's only a matter of time before people get sick.

"I got a better idea. You two go, find it for us. Let the privileged do the hard work for a change." Bellamy points his finger. The people around us cheer in agreement. I bite my lip in self confliction. I want to agree with Bellamy, but there is no way the two of them can carry supplies for 100 people.

"You're not listening," Wells tries to convince the crowd. "We all need to go."

"Look at this everybody," John Murphy, an ass I met in prison shouts to the rest of us. "The Chancellor of Earth."

Murphy and Wells start taunting each other. The audience begins to form chants for a fight. Wells is about to go for it, but Finn steps in the middle, his arms open to spread space.

"Look, the kid has got a bad leg," He points to Wells. "Why don't you continue this when it's a fair fight?"

The crowd spreads further into the woods when the excitement dies. Octavia walks past Finn with a giggly grin and says, "Hey spacewalker, come save me next." Bellamy gives her a glare. She shrugs, "What? He's cute."

"He's a criminal," Bellamy scoffs.

"They're all criminals."

Bellamy notices my staring and glares my way. For real, what is up his butt? I walk away towards Clarke. I look over her shoulder at the map. Geography really wasn't my thing so I wasn't going to be much help, but at least I can say I tried.

"I think this way would be the fastest. Less hills to cross over," I point.

Clarke, who can't seem to keep eyes on me for too long without looking uncomfortable, nods her head slowly. "I was thinking the same thing."

"Great minds think alike."

"Yeah, you could say that," She says quietly and starts to walk away.

"Hey," I yell after her. She turns around reluctantly. "Did I do something to piss you off? You've been giving me these looks ever since we landed."

"No...uh...sorry. I'm just a little overwhelmed right now. But, uh, thank you for the suggestion."

"Hey Clarke!" Finn jogs to us. "So Mount Weather, when do we leave?"

"Right now. We'll be back tomorrow with food." Clarke says.

"How are you two going to carry enough food for the hundred?" Wells points between Finn and Clarke like the two of them were full of shit.

I raise my hand, "I'll go."

"That's three," Finn grabs the two boys walking past us who so happen to be Jasper and Monty, "And that makes five."

"Make it six," Octavia jumps into our circle, "Sounds like a party."

Wherever Octavia is, so is her brother. Bellamy walks over and barks, "What the hell are you doing?"

"Going for a walk," Octavia says confidently.

I look down at Finn's wristband and notice his is greatly damaged with scratches, indents, etc. While O and Bellamy talk, I whisper, "Hey did you try and take this off?"

"Yeah so?" Finn plays with it in his hands.

Clarke hears our conversation and grabs his wrist, "So this wristband transmits your vital signs to The Ark. Take it off, and they'll think you're dead."

"Should I care?"

"Well, I don't know. Do you want the people you love to think you're dead? Do you want them to follow you down here in two months? Because they won't if they think we're dying."

Finn falls quietly and starts walking deeper into the forest. Bellamy agrees to let Octavia go. She jumps further into the woods behind Finn. Past Clarke, she says, "Before you get any ideas, Finn is mine."

"Before you get any ideas, I don't care," Clarke snaps back following behind Octavia. I nonchalantly hold out a fist for Octavia to bump. She does, and we fall in step with each other.

I trudge behind them, but someone grabs my wrist, turning me around. Bellamy looks deep into my eyes. His hold on me is tight. I don't say anything. I want to look as powerful as he thinks he is. So he doesn't think he intimidates me.

"I swear to god if anything happens to her, I'm going to hold you responsible. Do you hear me? I can make your life a living hell."

I rip my hand away from his grip. I glare under the bright sun. "Are you sure that guard suit was just a get-up. Or are you the real deal?"

I turn to walk away but his next words grab my attention. "I know what you did. I know what you're capable of. And I sure as hell don't want it around my sister."

I twist my body back in his direction. My blood runs cold, my face turns red. My fists are clenched so tight that my knuckles turn white. I bring my arm up and punch his face. Landing one on the bottom corner of his lip. He grabs his face, stunned. His eyes go big.

I take a deep breath, calming myself. "You don't know shit about me."

With every step I take, leaves and fallen tree branches crack under my boot. I listen to the sound of each _crack_ like it's music to my ears. My hands are stuffed into my jacket pocket. I fall a few steps behind the others, not up to talking after having that conversation with Bellamy. Who does he think he is? He may be older but that doesn't make him king. Too bad everyone is afraid of him to tell him so.

Monty and Jasper stop to examine a flower that caught their eye. The flower they picked out of the ground turned out to be medicinal even though it is called Poison Sumac. It's supposed to be calming. I could use it right about now.

Clarke didn't like the fact that people were stopping and taking their grand ol' time. She turned around and huffed, "Hey, guys, would you try to keep up?"

Finn skips past her, "Come on, Clarke. How do you block all this out?" His arms are open wide as he motions to our new environment. Our new home.

Clarke replies with a snarky tone, "Well, it's simple. I wonder, _'why haven't we seen any animals?_ ' Maybe it's because there are none. Maybe we've already been exposed to enough radiation to kill us. Sure is pretty, though. Come on."

"Someone should slip her some poison sumac," Jasper says. Monty snorts.

There is a loud snap of a branch that makes everyone, even Clarke, freeze in their spots. Finn waves us over behind a fallen tree trunk. We crouch down and look over it. "No animals, huh?" Finn smirks. A beautiful fawn eats the leaves from the plants that surround her. Never seeing an animal in person before, we're all so in awe to speak.

But then the fawn turns her head. Or should I say heads - as in multiple heads. Unlike what our history books had described to us, this deer had two heads with a brain coming out of it's own skin. My only guess is that it came to be like that because of the radiation.

We continue on with our walk.

After walking for ten more minutes in silence, Finn speaks, "Hey, you know what I'd like to know? Why send us down today after 97 years? What changed?"

"Who cares?" I scoff. "I'm just glad they did. I woke up in a rotting cell, and now I'm spinning in a forest."

"Amen to that sister," Octavia slaps my hand in a high five.

"The Ark is dying. At the current population level, there's roughly three months left of life support, maybe four now that we're gone," Clarke answers.

"So that was the secret they locked you up to keep?" Finn asks, "Why they kept you in solitary, floated your old man?"

Clarke stops and turns on Finn, "My father was the engineer who discovered the flaw. He thought the people had a right to know. The Council disagreed. My mother disagreed. They were afraid it would cause a panic. We were gonna go public, anyway, when Wells…"

"What, turned your dad in?" Finn asks.

Not wanting to get into it, Clarke begins walking again, "Anyway, the guard showed up before we could. That's why today. That's why it was worth the risk. Even if we all die, at least they bought themselves more time."

"They're going to kill more people," I ask, "Aren't they?"

"Good," Octavia scowls. "After what they did to me, I say, float them all."

"You don't mean that," Finn says. "We have to warn them."

"That's what my father said," Clarke says sullenly.

We come by a body of water. A lake filled with such clear water you can see the rocks underneath the surface.

Octavia runs to the edge like a joyous little kid and begins taking off her clothes. First her shirt and then her pants. All three boys begin commenting, "Oh, damn, I love Earth," Jasper says. "Oh! Holy," Monty says. "Ha ha!" Finn cheers.

I roll my eyes. Boys will be boys.

"Octavia what are you doing," Clarke demands, sounding a lot like Bellamy. Octavia jumps in the water.

"I can't swim," Jasper says, disappointed.

I walk over to Clarke, remembering the map in my head. I suddenly begin to feel uneasy, "Clarke, there isn't supposed to be a river here."

Finn walks up next to me, "Well, there is. So take off your damn clothes."

I elbow him in his ribs. He grabs his chest and stumbles a couple steps backwards.

Jasper, suddenly panicked, shouts, "Octavia, get out of the water!"

My head snaps into her direction. Something big and something fast treads the water, coming towards Octavia. Octavia whips her head back to see the giant-ass creature swimming at her.

"Get out of the water now!" Clarke shouts.

Whatever the hell is under that water gets to her before any of us can. Octavia is yanked underneath the water. Her screams are muffled by the liquid that gets trapped in her throat.

"Octavia!" I scream.

"What the hell is that? We have to help her." Clarke says. Jasper has already begun taking off his shirt, "What are you gonna do?"

"Try not to get eaten," He replies bluntly.

Clarke grabs his shoulder before he risks his life, "No. Wait. If we distract it, it might let her go." Clarke looks over her shoulder at me, "Help me."

Clarke and I struggle to pick up a heavy boulder. We stumble to the edge and throw it as far as we can into the river. The loud bang and big splash distracts the water creature long enough to let Octavia go.

Jasper runs into the water and grabs her arm, "I got you," He says comfortingly as he carries her out.

Whatever the hell that thing is, it treads the water fast. When it realizes that it got distracted by a rock, it comes back for Octavia.

"It's coming back!" Finn warns.

"It's headed right for you guys," Clarke adds loudly.

Jasper and Octavia slide up the rocks to safety. Octavia, who is coughing water out of her lungs, has two long gashes running down her leg. I take her shirt that is lying on the rocks and tear a strip off and tie it around her wounds. Clarke helps me get her pants on.

"Thank you, thank you," Octavia cries.

"You're gonna be okay," Clarke says smoothly. She looks me in the eye, like she was questioning her own words. Was it because she didn't know if Octavia was going to be okay? Or because she didn't know if we were all going to be okay?

* * *

"You should really go back to camp, O," I try advising her as I help her limp across the forest. "You can't even walk on your own."

"No, I'm good," Octavia says, almost out of breath. "Besides, you and Clarke did a great job wrapping me up. I'll be good as new in a couple of days."

"Yeah?" I let go of her. She stumbles and falls down to the ground, proving my point. She makes an 'oomf' noise when she hits the ground. "How's the weather down there?" I say sarcastically.

"Fine, I get your point," she glares up at me, "Now shut up and help me."

We catch up with the others. We reach a small but rocky cliff. Below is the lake that contains ugly sea monsters. I sit down and let my legs dangle off the edge. My mind pauses to snap a mental picture of the view.

"On the other side is Mount Weather…." We all look at Clarke. "And there is no other way around this lake."

"Here," Finn grabs a vine that hangs from a nearby tree. It's long enough that it would reach over to the other side, but the idea of falling into that deadly lake scares me. Finn tugs on the branch. It's sturdy. "Whose up?"

"I'll go," Octavia says.

"Dude," I look at her like she is crazy.

"No. I'll go," Jasper bounces on the balls of his feet.

"Knew there was a badass in there somewhere." Octavia bites her lip and stands down for Jasper to take the vine.

"Heh heh," Jasper passes Finn and grabs the vine. He tugs on it again. Jasper bites his lips, contemplating the jump.

"You wanted to go first, now quit stalling," Clarke teases. I glance her way. She sounds like she has lightened up.

"Mount Weather awaits," Finn sings, mockingly.

"See you on the other side," Jasper says. He swings from the branch, soaring across the lake and landing with a thud on the wet rocks on the other side. He stands up. His arms are in the air, cheering in Victory. "Whoo! Yeah! Yeah!"

The rest of us cheer for him. Relief floods through me to know that it is possible to get to the other side without any problems.

"Let's go Princess, you're up." Finn smirks over at Clarke. I look at her, waiting to see if she'll go. I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't. She's been stiff the entire day.

"Come on, Clarke! You got this! Whoo! Apogee! We did it! Mount Weather! Whoo!" Jasper jumps up and down with contagious energy.

"Yeah, Jasper!" Octavia cheers.

I hear a gust of wind past through my ear. Fast and sharp.

A spear hits Jasper, piercing his stomach. His smile drop, his eyes go big.

"Jasper!" I screech.

I fight. I want to get to that other side of the lake to help him. I can see the blood form quickly through his shirt.

Clarke grabs my arm tightly, screaming at the others to get down. I fall on my knees with the others behind a rock. Her hand covers my mouth.

"Oh my god," Octavia gasps.

"We're not alone," Clarke says.


	2. Earth Skills

**A/N: Hey guys! So although I haven't gotten any reviews on the first chapter, I did get a few favs and follows which made me want to post another chapter quickly! I have season one all written out already so the more reviews, favs, and follows I get, the quicker the chapters will be posted! Hope you continue reading!**

 **Disclaimer: I only own my character, Casady.**

* * *

No one was in more shocked than Monty. His mouth is parted, he is breathing heavily, and he is staring into space (no pun intended lol).

Finn shakes Monty frantically, "Monty. Come on! We got to go!"

"Monty, get up!" Octavia demands.

"Casady help Octavia," Clarke yells at me.

I trip over my own feet to pull Octavia's arm around my shoulder. She's in more pain as we run faster. I feel guilty but my goal is to get us out of harm's way as fast as possible. I feel even guiltier leaving Jasper's body behind.

"Who are they?" Finn asks. Crows squawk above. Finn rethinks his question, "What are they?"

"We are so screwed," Octavia grumbles.

Our heads snap to a distant scream behind us. Male, deep…Jasper.

"Jasper," Clarke says. "He's alive."

She is about to turn around and save Jasper, but Finn stops her. "Clarke. Wait! Wait." She turns around, ready to yell and fight back. But Finn speaks before she can object, "Stay out of the trees."

Poor Octavia. We turn around and run back to where Jasper was. When we peer over the rock, his body is no longer there—only the puddle of blood from his abdomen.

"He was right there," Clarke points.

"No," Monty shakes his head. Anxiety bubbling up, "Where is he?"

"They took him," I say.

Clarke takes one last look at Octavia and sighs, "We need to get back to Camp. Warn the others. We'll head out for Jasper later tonight. They wouldn't keep him if he was dead."

We walk back to Camp. As we get closer, screams, and chants, and other loud noises become more clear. Obviously we left the camp to chaos.

Kids stand around in a circle. Their arms are raised, punching the air. They chant, "Fight!"

My small group pushes our way through the energized crowd. Wells and a boy named Atom wrestle each other, throwing lethal punches and hard kicks. Atom's nose is bleeding. Wells is clutching his ribs.

Clarke runs to her old best friend and pulls him off of Atom, "Wells! Let him go!"

"Whoa! Hey!" Murphy takes a step forward, irritated that his night of entertainment had come to an end.

"Enough, Murphy."

Bellamy spots Octavia under my arm and rushes towards his sister, "Octavia! Are you alright?" Before she can answer, he says to me, "I thought I told you watch out for her."

"I'm fine Bell," Octavia says. "She's the reason why I still have my leg. Leave her alone."

"Move so she can sit down," I say, not meeting his eyes. I'm still pissed about our previous conversation.

"I can take it from here," He gently pulls Octavia out from under my arm. "Where's the food?"

"We didn't make it to Mount Weather," I tell him.

"What the hell happened out there?"

"We were attacked," Clarke says loudly. Not only gaining Bellamy's attention but a few other delinquents around her.

"Attacked? By what?"

"It turns out, when the last man from the ground died on the Ark, he wasn't the last Grounder," Finn explains.

People whispered, "It's true. Everything we thought we knew about the ground is wrong. There are people here, survivors. The good news is, that means we can survive. Radiation won't kill us."

"Yeah but the grounders will," I mutter under my breath. Clarke sends daggers my way.

Bellamy sighs, "Where's the kid with the goggles?"

"Jasper was hit," Clarke says. "They took him," She glances at his arm, her attention shifting, "Where's your wristband?"

I look at Bellamy's hand and to the others. Many are missing their bracelets that we were strapped with before flying down here.

"Ask him," Bellamy points to Murphy.

Clarke seethes, turning to Murphy and asks, "How many?"

"Twenty-four and counting," He says with a smirk.

Clarke's face turns red, "You idiots. Life support on the Ark is failing. That's why they brought us down here. They need to know the ground is survivable again, and we need their help against whoever is out there. If you take off your wristbands, you're not just killing them. You're killing us!"

Bellamy turns to the people, shouting, "We're stronger than you think. Don't listen to her. She's one of the privileged. If they come down, she'll have it good. How many of you can say the same? We can take care of ourselves. That wristband on your arm? It makes you a prisoner. We are not prisoners anymore! They say they'll forgive your crimes. I say you're not criminals! You're fighters, survivors! The Grounders should worry about us!"

"Yeah! Yeah!" The delinquents chant.

I stomp to Clarke and Finn. "What do we do now?" I ask. My hand finds it's way to my bracelet.

"Now we go after Jasper." Clarke states.

Clarke takes Wells to the dropship to see what his injuries look like. She asks me to come with. I nod, surprised she wants me with her. Finn and Monty follow. I have a feeling this is going to be our clique. Plus Octavia once Bellamy isn't up her ass 24/7. But Octavia is stubborn. She stumbles into the dropship too with her brother.

"It's just a scratch," Wells brushes it off.

"You're making friends fast," Clarke rolls her eyes. "Keep it covered. It could get infected," She eyes his bag that sits in the corner, "Nice pack."

"Yeah, seat belts and insulation. I also packed part of the parachute, figured we could use it to carry out Jasper."

"Good. Give it to someone else," Clarke stands up and snaps, "You're not coming with us."

"I feel fine."

"I don't care about your injuries, Wells. It's you."

I look over at Finn. He purses his lips and tilts back and forth on his heels. Awkward.

"You came back for reinforcements," Wells argues. "I'm gonna help."

"Clarke he's right," Finn sighs. "We need him. So far no one else has volunteered."

"I'm sorry Monty, but you're not going either," Clarke says solemnly.

Monty glares, "Like hell I'm not. Jasper is my best friend!"

"You're too important. You were raised on Farm Station and recruited by engineering."

"So?"

"So food and communication. What's up here, it's gonna save us all." Clarke points to her head and then to the torn-apart radio. "You figure out how to talk to the Ark and I'll bring Jasper back." She eyes me staring at Monty. "Hey. You ready?"

"I don't think we should go," Finn steps in. "That spear was thrown with pinpoint accuracy from 300 feet."

"So what, we let Jasper die? That's not gonna happen." Clarke scoffs, "Spacewalker? What a joke. You think you're such an adventurer. You're really just a coward"

"It's not an adventure, Clarke, it's a suicide mission. Build a wall. Use the fallen trees."

"I'll watch out for her," Bellamy promises. Octavia groans next to him. She rubs her injured leg. Bellamy motions to her leg and asks, "What the hell was it?"

"I dont know," Octavia answers. "The others said it looked like a giant snake."

"You could have been killed."

"She would have been if Jasper didn't jump in to pull her out." Clarke says, grabbing Wells's pack. "Lets go Casady."

"You guys leaving?" Octavia tries standing up. "I'm coming, too."

"No, no. No way. Not again," Bellamy says.

"He's right," Clarke says, "Your leg's just gonna slow us down."

Clarke and I walk out of the drop ship. We give each other a look. A look that says we might not come back. But it's also a look that convinces us that we're doing the right thing. Down here, we're not prisoners. We're warriors and fighters that are reclaiming our land.

"Clarke!" Bellamy calls out for her. We turn around. Bellamy looks around to make sure no one is listening. "What are you doing?"

"I hear you have a gun," Clarke whispers. Bellamy licks his lip and lifts up his shirt an inch to show the handle of a pistol. I bite my lip at the site of skin, not realizing the good body that he had. "Good. Follow me."

"Wait, what?" I snap my head towards Clarke.

Bellamy scoffs, "And why would I do that?"

"Because you want them to follow you, and right now, they're thinking only one of us is scared."

Bellamy looks at me, almost asking for confirmation. I raise my eyebrow, silently agreeing with Clarke and challenging him to take the risk.

Bellamy nods, turns, and shouts, "Murphy! Come with me. Atom? My sister doesn't leave this camp. Is that clear?"

"I don't need a babysitter," Octavia scoffs.

"Anybody touches her, they answer to me," Bellamy threatens.

"I'm gonna make your life a living hell," Octavia sneers at Atom.

Bellamy looks back at us, "Those guys aren't just bullies. They're dangerous criminals."

"I'm counting on it," Clarke and I walk ahead of the boys.

"Why did you want me to come?" I ask when we're out of earshot.

"You don't strike me as a coward," Clarke says. "I see you as a potential leader. And I need to keep my eye on you. Make sure you're okay."

"Why is that? I'm capable of taking care of myself."

"I'll tell you as soon as we get Jasper back. Alive."

"Hey, hold up!" Bellamy calls after us. "What's the rush? You don't survive a spear through the heart."

"Jasper screamed when they moved him. If the spear struck his heart, he'd have died instantly. It doesn't mean we have time to waste." I say as a matter-of-factly.

Bellamy grabs my hand, "As soon as you take this wristband off, we can go."

"The only way the Ark is going to think I'm dead is if I'm dead. Got it?"

"Let her go, Bellamy," Clarke stares him down.

Bellamy and I don't break eye contact when I rip my arm away. I have a feeling we're never going to get along.

* * *

Finn finds his way through the forest and meets us in the middle. Something about a change of heart, I guess.

"You call this a rescue party," Bellamy scoffs. "Got to split up, cover more ground. Clarke, come with me."

Finn and I walk in a different direction. I notice how aware Finn becomes in every step, and the way he is never two steps away from me. Like if something were to come our way, he would protect me. It's a natural inclination he has. I can tell.

"What do you think?" I ask. My voice is quieter than it normally would be. "Do you think Jasper is still out here? Alive?"

"I believe in miracles. Does that answer your question?" Finn says.

"Not at all," I say stepping over a fallen tree.

"So you and Octavia are friends?"

"We met in lockup." I laugh. "She had bangs at the time. But she grew them out...thank god. But yeah. Surprisingly, she was shy. Only at first, though. I like to think I helped her break out of her shell."

"Doesn't surprise me. You never came off to anyone as shy. I can sense your sarcastic persona become contagious."

"Shut up," I push him, playfully.

"Only now it's only getting her in trouble with her brother," Finn says.

"Bellamy Blake needs to ease the hell up. We're finally liberated and he is going to make this place feel like another prison cell. I don't know who made him in charge, but I don't like it."

"You hate him, don't you?" Finn smirks.

"I'm getting there." I say. "I can't be with him for more than…"

"One minute?" Finn suggests.

I add, "That's when he starts pissing me off."

I freeze when I hear a twig break a few feet to my right. I turn to Finn and he does the same thing. He steps in front of me. I look over his shoulder and see nothing. What should we do? Do we stay so that can shoot? Or do we run to cause more attention to ourselves?

"Come on," Finn says.

We sprint to the left, jumping over logs, swerving away from low hanging branches. Finn grabs my hand to help me run faster.

I run into something hard. My fingernails scrape against skin. I land hard on my back, the wind is knocked out of me. There is a hand around my throat. I panic. Lifting my right leg, I push against the person's neck and use my left leg to wrap around their legs. Caught off balance, they flip over on their own back. I raise my right hand to throw a punch, but stop when I see a familiar mop of hair.

"Bellamy?"

"Not so bad, killer," Bellamy grunts under my weight. I glare and look up and see Finn and Clarke regaining themselves from their encounter. "Not that I don't mind you on top of me, but I think we have a geek to save."

I drop my fist against the corner of his lip.

"Ow!" Bellamy turns his face and presses a hand to his lip. "What the hell was that for?"

"Sorry, it slipped," I glare, hopping off of him.

I stomp off and lead the group away from this area. Time to find the boy in the goggles.

Clarke places a hand behind my back and walks with me. Fifteen minutes of walking in silence we reach a river with a large waterfall pouring into it from above. The group stops to take a look at its glory.

"Whoa," I say.

"Guess we don't have to worry about water," Finn says, leaning down and washing his face with the clear liquid.

Clarke sighs, "Come on Finn, we don't have time for this."

"Clarke, we've been hiking for hours. We need a break."

"We'll take a break when we find Jasper," Clarke walks away.

I shrug my shoulders in Finn's direction and help him stand up straight again. I wrap my arms around his right arm and walk side by side with him.

We walk about another three miles when we hear a small moan. We freeze, tracking where it could have come from. Its distant, but I know we're close.

"What the hell was that?" Finn says.

"Now would be a good time to take out that gun," Clarke looks Bellamy up and down. I turn my head in his direction as he slowly reveals the gun from his pants. His hand grasps it naturally and leads us out of the woods.

We walk into a clear opening. A large tree stretches into the sky in the middle of the open space. In the tree propped by a branch is Jasper. His skin is a shade lighter from the loss of blood. I can already see dark circles underneath his eyes.

"Oh my god," I say.

"I'll climb up there and cut the vines," Murphy volunteers.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm with you," Finn follows.

"No," Bellamy says. "You stay with Clarke and watch him." He points to me. "You, let's go."

"There's a poultice on his wound," Clarke notices.

"Medicine? Why would they save his life just to string him up as live bait?" I step forward.

"Maybe what they're trying to catch is us," Clarke says. My blood runs cold.

"Hurry up, Murphy," Finn croaks.

"Be careful," Clarke says.

I snap my head to distant growling from behind me. "What the hell was that?"

"Grounders?" Finn suggests.

Another snarl. No way that is a Grounder.

A large four legged animal approaches from the tree. His head is low, analyzing his prey. The world around me freezes and I can only focus on this giant cat.

"This doesn't look good," I whisper. Bellamy glares my way.

The big cat sprints our way when it smells fear radiating off of our skin.

"Bellamy, gun!" Clarke shouts.

Bellamy's gun roars to life with each shot he fires, but he misses every time. The large cat comes in mine and Bellamy's direction. His gun clicks. No more bullets. My heart has never beaten so fast.

Bellamy grabs my waist jumps out of the way. I hit the ground and squeeze my eyes tight.

Another gun shot. I look at Bellamy. He is till on the ground with me, his gun out of hand. I look up and the panther is dead on the ground. One bullet through its body. A bullet that was not shot by Bellamy.

Our heads snap into the eyes of the beholder. Wells.

* * *

After successfully grabbing Jasper from the tree, Clarke and Finn help to carry him back to camp. Clarke sends Wells daggers the entire walk home. Bellamy and Murphy lead the group back to camp talking about watch plans and other soldier duties. I trail behind as I summarize what life on Earth is really going to be like. And it's a lot less luxurious than I imagined.

"They're back!" People cheer in the dead of the night as we return. There is a fire going and people drinking moonshine.

Whispers travel as they take in Jasper's appearance. _'How the hell is he going to survive?'_ They're all thinking it. Even I'm thinking it.

"He's alive," Clarke confirms. "I need boiled water and strips of cloth for bandages."

"Who's hungry!" Bellamy holds the panther up victoriously as if that was more important.

"Yeah!" Kids cheer.

I walk into the dropship to help Clarke. She peels off the Grounders' bandage and replaces it with our own. She bites her lip in concentration. Jasper falls asleep throughout the entire aid.

When there was nothing else we could do to help, we leave the dropship and let Jasper get some rest.

There is a line for grilled panther meat. At the beginning of the line stands Atom, taking people's wristband and giving them food in return.

"Are you kidding me," I mutter under my breath.

Clark and I walk over to Finn.

"I won't do it," Clarke sits down next to Finn on a log distant from the fire.

"You don't have to," Finn says handing his food to us for the three of us to share.

Bellamy walks over, seeing our sharing is caring motto and holds out a hand to stop us, "Whoa, whoa, wait, wait, wait. What, you think you play by different rules?"

"I thought there were no rules?" I tilt my head, chewing a piece of steak obnoxiously while smirking.

He swallows, his adam's apple bobbing up and down. He glares my way and walks in a different direction.

Clarke holds onto my arm and pulls me in close. Her hug is warm and comfortable and it feels so natural. I hold her back, taking a deep breath and closing my eyes. Whatever she had to tell me becomes unimportant as we live in the moment. Jasper's okay, Octavia is okay. And everything else is okay. For now, anyway.


	3. Earth Kills

**A/N: Hey guys. Sorry I haven't uploaded in a long time, but it's finals week so I've had a lot of shit I had to get done but luckily that's over now and I'm home which gives me more time to write. Yay! I hope you like this chapter! Leave reviews and tell me what you think.**

 **Disclaimer: I only own my character, Casady.**

* * *

Inside the dropship, Clarke treats Jasper for the wound left underneath his ribcage. Jasper moans loudly with every touch Clarke makes. This has been happening every night. And people are beginning to get annoyed.

Trying to help, I pull apart spare T-shirts and fabrics to use as bandages. I follow Clarke's demands by fetching whatever it is that she needs, but even still I feel like I'm not doing enough to help.

Clarke has a panic look on her face. She, herself, is sweating. She's functioning on almost no sleep at all with Jasper being her number one worry. She has a hand over his heart and counts to herself.

She pulls back, "His pulse is three eighty."

I don't know why she is telling me this. What am I supposed to do with this information? I struggle to find the words that could be of any help. But I am useless, standing still like an idiot with her hands filled with pointless rags. Good work Casady.

"Go back to sleep," Someone yells from outside.

"Quiet!" Another one shouts.

Clarke leans over, whispering in Jasper's ear, "Don't listen to them. You're gonna make it through this, okay? Promise."

"Can he just die already?" Someone shouts again.

Clarke stands up and starts walking to the door, "I'm gonna get clean water. Keep an eye on him."

I walk over and brush my hand over his forehead and down his sweat-drenched hair. "Stay with me, Jaz. You got this."

That night, I sleep with my back against the wall and still fisting the bandages. I wake up with a jerk as clanging of metal cups sound loudly in my ear.

"Oh, did I wake you?" Finn grins. He hands me a metal cup filled with clear liquid.

"What is this?"

"Something to help wake you up," he says. "Don't say I never did anything for you."

I cautiously take a sip from the metal container and instantly gag. The liquid burns my throat as it travels down my esophagus. I pull the cup away from me and cough into my elbow.

"Really, Finn? Moonshine in the morning?"

"It helps me get through the day," Finn shrugs.

"Here, then have mine." I give him back the cup and stand, stretching my back, hearing a few cracks.

Jasper still is moaning on his bed. The color in his face is slowly returning, meaning whatever Clarke is doing to him is working. Relief rush through my system as I begin to think he isn't a hopeless cause anymore.

Monty stares down at his best friends from the seat next to Jasper. I feel terrible. If this were Octavia, I would be extremely pissed and want to go after the sons of bitches that used him as bait. But Monty is a calmer human being than I am. He has more self-control.

Speaking of, "Have you seen Octavia?" I ask Finn.

He nods, "She's outside talking to her brother last I saw."

"Thanks."

I walk outside. Luckily, Bellamy is on the other side of camp while Octavia is alone replacing the bandages on her leg.

I sit on the log next to her and hand her one of my bandages, "Let me help." She gives me a grateful grin and offers me her leg. The wound is slowly scabbing over and I spy no yellowish pus; therefore, I don't believe it's infected.

"How's walking?" I ask.

"Manageable...finally," She says, lowering her leg once I'm finished. "Sorry my brother is such an ass."

"Don't worry about it. There's always one asshole in every crowd. It's to be expected. I just can't believe you're related to him."

"You know what?" Octavia turns and holds my hands together. "We need to have some fun. Venture out and talk to boys."

"You have your eye on someone?" I smirk, looking around for any cute potentials.

"Shut up," Octavia lightly pats me. "I've been locked up during the years that I should have gotten my first kiss, my first boyfriend. Well, now that I am free. Who's to stop me now?"

"You're brother?" I say like it is the most obvious thing in the world.

"He's too busy to even worry about that kind of crap."

"Okay then," I smile. "Who do you have your eye on?"

"Atom," She whispers.

I look around camp and spot Atom speaking with one of the other delinquents that I do not know the name of. He is cute. Atom is one of Bellamy's bitches, or as he likes to call it "guards". He helps Bellamy to manage the crowd.

Atom walks away from whomever he was talking to and goes towards his tent. I elbow Octavia telling her now was her chance. She takes it and hurries over to him while Bellamy is distracted.

I was going to watch the interaction go down when Monty races to me and pulls me into the drop ship. This grabs Bellamy's attention and follows us to Jasper.

Jasper is screaming at the top of his lungs as Clarke fights with him to keep still. She has a knife in her hands and at the moment, my heart stops beating. Whatever she is doing looks painful as hell.

"Hold him still. I need to cut away the infected flesh," Clarke demands.

I hurry over and stand by Jasper's head. I hold his shoulders down. Finn is at his feet.

Octavia runs in after the screams and shouts, "Stop it! You're killing him."

"She's trying to save his life," Finn defends.

"She can't," Bellamy states.

Wells stands up to Bellamy, holding his hand out and says, "Back off."

Clarke says," We didn't drag him through miles of woods just to let him die."

"Kid's a goner. If you can't see that, you're deluded. He's making people crazy." Bellamy says.

"Sorry if Jasper's an inconvenience to you, but this isn't that Ark. Down here, every life matters." Clarke snaps.

"Take a look at him," Bellamy indicates to Jasper's crumbling body. "He's a lost cause. I mean forget about hope. It's about guts. You don't have the guts to make the hard choices. I do. He's been like this for three days. If he's not better by tomorrow, I'll kill him myself." Bellamy turns to leave, "Octavia, let's go."

"I'm staying here," She shakes her head and stands by my side.

Bellamy gives me a glance. Shaking his head, he walks out without another word.

* * *

We spend another hour deciphering over what the hell is the substance that the grounders left on Jasper's bandage. Wells, thinking he can tell what it is because he aced his botany class, says it is seaweed. This means there has to be a water source nearby.

Not being able to take the screams anymore, I walk out of the dropship alone. I run my fingers over my bumpy skin as goose bumps rise above my skin from the chilly breeze. I pray that Jasper isn't a lost cause. Out of everyone at camp, he is the last guy who deserves this.

A small girl, early teens maybe, catches my eye. I watch her suspiciously as she eyes the people of the camp. She squeezes her eyes tight, blocking out whatever is running through her head. Something about her reminds me of me. I remember being her age, small and alone with no one to talk to.

No one else seems to be paying attention to her. She sneaks herself out of everyone's view and walks deep into the forest. I scan the rest of the kids who pay attention to their own business. A little girl should not be walking out there, especially alone. Not after we learned what those grounders are capable of.

I sigh, taking one last look at the dropship and follow after her. I jog, listening to each snap of twig, gust of wind, and chirp of a bird. I catch her blonde hair after five minutes of jogging.

A small hand knife soars in the air and pins itself to the tree next to the girl's face. Her eyes are big with shock. I freeze in my spot, afraid to make any movements.

Loud crunching footsteps rush east. Several boys that I recognize as Bellamy's bitches rush past me and tackle a nearby boar. I let out a sigh of relief. It was only idiots.

Bellamy walks over to the little girl and snatches the knife out of the tree, "Who the hell are you?" He asks her.

"Charlotte," She responds. Hmm. Charlotte. I like it. Her body's stiff under Bellamy's gaze.

"I almost killed you. Why aren't you back at camp?" Bellamy asks her. He looks up and spots me leaning against a tree. His eyes narrow, "And why the hell are _you_ not back at camp?"

Charlotte turns around to see who he is talking to so harshly.

I glare at the attitude, "I saw her leave camp and followed her out here to make sure she wasn't hurt."

"Yeah well great going with that," he says sarcastically. "I almost put a knife through her skull."

"Maybe that wouldn't had happened if you had better aim," I cross my arms over my chest. I take a few steps closer to Charlotte and Bellamy.

"There's Grounders out here. It's too dangerous for a little girl," Bellamy says to Charlotte, giving up on me.

"I'm not little," She defends herself. Brave.

"Okay then," Bellamy considers her words. He flips the small knife in his hand and eyes it carefully before holding it out to Charlotte. "But you can't hunt without a weapon. Ever killed something before?" Charlotte shakes her head no. "Well, maybe Casady can teach you. I hear she's had experience. Who knows, maybe you're good at it."

Okay, that hit a trigger. "Can I talk to you?" I ask through clenched teeth.

Before he can answer I pull on his sleeve, basically dragging him where we are out of earshot from Charlotte and her new buddies.

He stops struggling and stands still to listen to me bitch. "What's your problem with me?" I ask. "Is it because you heard why I was locked up? Is that it?"

"I can't trust anyone who has turned against her own people, especially her own family. And now I have to find out you and my little sister are best friends? How can I trust her around a murderer?"

"You don't know anything. You don't know what went on that night nor any day before that. You don't know my story. You don't get to judge me. I'm sick and tired of hearing my name come out of your mouth. You want to say something about me? Then say it to my face. Don't trust me? Fine. Talk about it with me privately. But don't make it a topic of discussion for the entire camp. Got it?" Bellamy licks his lips and nods his head. "I've got a lot of things to say about you too, Bellamy Blake. I just know when to keep my mouth shut."

I turn away and start walking back to camp. Bellamy's voice stops me though as he calls out my name. I turn around to hear what he has to say. "Stay with Charlotte. If she is coming out with us, I need more eyes."

Whatever I said to him must have gotten through his thick head if he is trusting me with Charlotte. I nod my head and follow in their footsteps.

Bellamy, his men, Charlotte, and I walk aimlessly through the forest for another catch of wild animal, but fall short of anything with four legs. I walk two steps behind to avoid the tension between Bellamy and I. I wish there was a way where we could be civil. But it doesn't look like that is happening any time soon.

My head must be racking with emotions. I'm trying to go through them all, but I run into Bellamy's back. I'm just about to say something about his sudden stop but I listen to what they are hearing.

A low sound of a horn sings throughout the trees. I spy no one in the trees or on the ground.

"What is that?" Charlotte asks.

"Grounders?" Someone suggests.

"No," I say. "It's a warning." They look at me with questioning looks. In the distance I can see something yellowish/greenish. I narrow my eyes. It's getting closer and wider in size. Fog and something tells me we do not want to be caught up in that. "Run," I demand.

We turn around and sprint away to hide for cover. I can't remember the way back to the dropship with all the mayhem. So I keep running. I'm leading the group, but I'm lost. I'm going to get us killed.

The horn goes off again. I whip my head backwards to see how much time I have left. It's getting closer and I can only see trees. Nothing that will protect me. But even more terrifying, no one is behind me. I was left for dead. Bellamy and his party abandoned me.

I bounce on me heels, debating which direction to take next. I head west and swerve between trees. Rocks come into my line of vision. Something better than trees.

The horn has completely stopped its melody. I stop at the top of the hill. No way I can travel to the rocks in time. My heart stops at the likelihood of my survival.

A body runs into me and grabs my shoulders, startling me. I look into the scared eyes of Bellamy. He searches my eyes and says, "There's a cave over here. Are you alright?"

Nervously I nod my head. He nods his too and takes my hand and we run to Charlotte and Atom.

"Where are the others?" I ask, out of breath.

"We lost them, just like we lost you," Bellamy says.

We sprint and I see the cave come into view. Behind me, I hear a thump. I turn around. Atom is on the floor. Before I can run to help him, the fog engulfs him. He cries in pain.

"No," I yell. I take a step his way to save him from the acidic fog. However, Bellamy's wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me away. "No. Stop! We can't leave him here!"

"Charlotte, close the door!" Bellamy shouts to the little girl. When we are safely in the cave, Charlotte shuts the cave door behind us.

I push myself away from Bellamy, tears gather in my eyes. "You left him there to die!"

"It was too late," Bellamy says, panting. "If I had let you try and save him I would have lost two of you, not just one. I couldn't let that happen."

"He was your friend," I say more calmly. Bellamy stays silent. I sigh, turning around and walking away from him. "Who's the murderer now?"

* * *

 **CLARKE'S POV**

Finn, Wells, and I separated from the others, found some kind of automobile trapped underground to hide in until the fog disappears. Judging from the size, lack of windows, and the shape, I would say this was a submarine. I learned about them in past history classes. Underwater transportation usually used in the military. How much I would kill to be in an actual submarine.

Finn, Wells, and I left camp to try and find more of the seaweed the grounders were using to treat Jasper when we heard the horn. It didn't take long for us to realize the horn was a sign for us to take cover. The acidic fog was a dead giveaway we were in trouble. If Finn hadn't of found this place, we would be dead.

I can't help myself but to pace the floor. I rake my fingers through my knotty blonde hair as I think about who I need to be caring for.

"Clarke, you need to relax," Finn says.

"We should make a run for it," I say. "Jasper can't wait much longer."

"Us dying in acid fog isn't going to help Jasper," Finn says. He walks over and finds a small compartment. He wiggles the lock out of place until it opens.

I see bottle poking through the top, "Is that…"

"Booze. Hooch. Rotgut." He opens the darker bottle and drinks out of it.

"Well, careful. Finn, it could be…" My head racks through all the poisons that could be contained in those bottles.

"Whiskey," He finishes my sentence. "I think. Its way better than the moonshine from Argo Station."

Finn offers the whiskey to Wells. Wells shakes his head, "Alcohol's toxic."

Finn shrugs, "This is earth. Everything's toxic. Plus, it's a time-honored rite of passage."

"We'll pass," Wells speaks not only for him, but for me too. And that makes me angry.

I glare and reach over for the bottle. "Far be it for me to stand in the way of tradition." I take a long gulp. The alcohol burns down my throat. I'm not used to this feeling and I can't help but cough at the taste. My eyes go wide when I remember something.

"What's wrong," Finn stands straighter when he sees that something is wrong.

"Did anyone see Casady before we left camp. In the dropship, in her tent, anything?" I ask with a panic.

"Uh, no now that I think about it," Finn says.

"Yeah, me neither," Wells says.

"She's out there," I walk to the ladder that leads to the outside. "She's out there, we have to go find her," I say loudly.

"Clarke!" Finn grabs me by the waist. "Hey! Hey!" He shouts to get my attention. My eyes stay glued to the exit. "I'm sure she is fine. She is a smart girl."

"Why did she leave? Why didn't she tell anyone?" My heart races with 200 beats per second. Well, that's what it feels like anyway. The last time I felt this kind of panic was when my dad was floated by the council.

"What's your interest in Casady," Wells asks, genuinely interested.

"She's my sister," I say for the first time out loud. The words feel foreign on my tongue. Sister. I have a sister. By saying it out loud, it all becomes surreal. I was lied to as a child. I had a sister this entire time. I had someone who needed me. And I wasn't there. "I have a sister. Casady's my sister," I repeat as if that would bring her to me. Does she know? Or is she oblivious? She hasn't showed any signs of knowing. How am I going to tell her? I have to. She deserves to know.

* * *

 **CASADY'S POV**

Charlotte fell asleep when we realized that the fog was not going to die down anytime soon. Luckily, there was a cot left in the cave from people before the nuclear war.

Bellamy laid himself out on the ground to catch sleep of his own. He was down for ten minutes until he spoke, "You should try and get rest too. It looks like we will be here until morning."

How did he know I was awake? Maybe it was my rapid breathing. Or maybe I was talking out loud when I thought I wasn't. Was I moving around too much?

I sat with my back against the wall. My knees were propped up so my elbows could rest on them. "Can't sleep," I simply say. I watch Charlotte's chest calmly rise up and down with steady breaths. I wish I could do that: get a good night's rest.

Bellamy sits up and moves next to me. I eye him with my peripheral vision. What was he doing? Now was a good time to avoid me, pretend to be sleeping, not to care. But instead of sleeping, he was talking to me?

"What are you doing?" I ask.

"I'm sorry, was this seat taken?" Bellamy says sarcastically.

I shrug, "No. But neither is any other seat in this damn cave. Just surprised you could sit this close to a murderer." The words taste acidic in my mouth. Murderer. Did I deserve that title?

 _"_ _Mom?" At fifteen years old, I walk into my cabin that I share with my mom and dad. I was just coming back from school and I was excited to share my B plus on my engineering test. But when I open the door, my test was long forgotten._

 _Dead. My mom lay in a pool of her own blood._

 _"_ _Mom!" I screech. I fall to her side, kneeling in the dark liquid. I try shaking her awake by the shoulders. "Mom!" She's unresponsive. I move my hands to feel for her wound. Three deep stab wounds in her stomach. I hold my hands over the wounds to stop the bleeding. But I'm too late._

 _There's blood all over me at this point as I just cry into her neck. Broken. I have never felt pain like this. I didn't know pain like this could even exist in me. My long time best friend was dead. I was never even able to tell her goodbye._

 _Loud stomps came through the cabin door. Soldiers pointed their guns in my direction._

 _"_ _Step away from the woman," One of them demanded._

 _"_ _Please," I cried. "You have to help her!"_

 _Another soldier ripped me away from my mother. I screeched, fighting against their restraints. They handcuffed me behind my back. "What are you doing!"_

 _"_ _Casady Lima, you are arrested for the murder of Andrea Lima."_

 _"_ _What!"_

 _I'm forced out of the cabin with no last look of my mother. My father, in his own soldier uniform, stands behind the others with his arms crossed. We make eye contact. He glares at me. If looks could kill, I would be dead._

 _"_ _You're making a mistake," I cry. "I didn't kill her!" But no one listened. I was I never saw the outside of the skybox again._

"You were right," Bellamy says, pulling me out of my gruesome memory. "I don't know your story. But every decision I make has to be in Octavia's best interest. Her befriending someone who supposedly is responsible for murder...that scares me. I have to make sure she doesn't get hurt."

I nod my head, respecting his side of the story. I couldn't even imagine having that kind of responsibility over someone.

"I understand," I say. I turn my head to look Bellamy in the eyes like a real conversation. "I think you and I got on the wrong foot."

"You think?"

I manage a chuckle. "No. I know. We did get off to a bad start."

"So why don't you tell anyone your story? I can't be the only one who doesn't know."

"No one does. I gave up telling my side of the story a long time ago."

"Why?" He asks. For once, I can see he actually cares. I feel a sense of hope that he and I may actually get along.

"It's never changed anything. My mother will never come back to life and I was always going to get floated on my eighteenth birthday. I was always going to be judged by others, and I was always going to be disrespected by soldiers. And my father was always going to hate me." I take a deep breath and blink the tears away. "So I quit trying. Accepted my fate and moved on."

Bellamy's eyes are narrowed as he takes in my words. "Tell me what happened the day you were arrested. Let me help you."

I open my mouth to reject his help but Charlotte does it for me. She shuffles in her sleep and cries out "No!" She's having a nightmare.

Bellamy springs to action and takes his place next to her. He begins to shake her away. "Charlotte, wake up."

She opens her eyes slowly, "Sorry," She croaks. I remember having nightmares like that. Occasionally I still will. They were always about my mother.

"Does it happen often?" Bellamy asks. She sighs, giving him enough insight that these nightmares come regularly. "What are you scared of? You know what? It doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is what you do about it."

"But, I'm asleep," She says, confused.

"Fears are fears. Slay your demons when you're awake, they won't be there to get you when you sleep."

"Yeah but...how?"

"You can't afford to be weak. Down here, weakness is death, fear is death. Let me see that knife I gave you." Charlotte hands Bellamy the knife from under her pillow. Bellamy grips the knife in his hands and says, "Now, when you feel afraid, you hold tight to that knife and you say, 'screw you. I'm not afraid.'"

Bellamy hands the knife back to Charlotte. She takes it timidly and repeats, "Screw you. I'm not afraid."

Bellamy smiles. He was really cute with children. Wait. Did I just say that? Yes, I did. Bellamy has a good side that he doesn't let others see. Hm, this was interesting. What else is he hiding? I bite back a smile.

"Slay your demons, kid. Then you'll be able to sleep."

I watch as Bellamy helps Charlotte conquer her fears. I felt myself being drawn closer to him in this moment. Was I going to regret saying that? Bellamy meets my eyes and the corner of his lips curves into a slight grin. Then, hatred no longer ran through my veins.

Charlotte falls back asleep, clutching her knife tightly in her fist. Bellamy doesn't take his eyes off of her until her breathing becomes even and she's in peace.

I rest my own eyes, leaning back against the wall. I can't fall asleep. All I can think about is Atom falling behind and me being restricted from helping him. I wonder if he is still out there, or if he managed to find a place to camp out in, or worse.

I stand up and pace the room. Bellamy looks up at me, but stays silent. My mind runs with everyone's whereabouts. Jasper-slowly dying on the drop ship. Monty-with Jasper. Clarke and Finn- No clue. Hopefully at the drop ship caring for Jasper. Octavia- better be at the drop ship.

I walk towards the end of the cave.

"What are you doing?" Bellamy stands up and walks towards me.

I move the rock a little bit to pear through. The air is clean with no traces of a yellow-greenish fog. "I think it's clear," I say. "Wake Charlotte. We better start heading back."

Bellamy peers over my shoulder and nods his head. He turns around to wake Charlotte. I take a deep breath, happy there was no fight while we were in confinement.

I walk out and scream for Atom and the others, "Anybody out here?"

"We're here!" Jones walks towards me from the trees.

Bellamy and Charlotte come out from the cave. Bellamy says, "Lost you in the stew. Where'd you go?"

"Made it to the cave down there," Jones pointed east.

"The hell was that?" Bellamy says, referring to the fog.

"I don't know," Jones shrugs.

"Where's Atom?" I ask. It's been long enough since we called out to him. He should be here by now. My heart speeds up as I think of the worse possibility.

Jones shrugs, "I thought he was with you."

I give Bellamy a look that says _'he should have been'_. He ignores my look but I know he saw it.

The group walks back to the drop ship. Now would be a great time to have Finn by our sides to help track our way instead of guessing on every turn. But Bellamy is certain he knows where we're going. I don't believe him.

"Did Bellamy treat you nicely when you two were alone," Jones wiggles his eyes at me, catching me out of my thoughts.

"Keep walking, Jones," Bellamy grunts in front of us.

I roll my eyes. Boys will be boys.

Jones continues, "I would have," he licks his lip.

I was about to respond with something sarcastic and witty, but Charlotte's piercing scream stops me.

Bellamy and I are the first ones to sprint. Charlotte is looking down at a boy who is severely burned. His charred body makes it harder to recognize that the broken boy is Atom.

"Son of a bitch, Atom," Bellamy mutters. He looks over Atom's body. I know we're thinking the same thing: How can we help him?

Atom opens his mouth to speak. His words come out in whispers. I fall on my knees to listen, "Kill me," He is saying. "Kill me, Kill…me." He gasps from the pain talking gives him.

More footsteps approach. Clarke, Finn, and Wells must have heard Charlotte's cry. Clarke inhales when she see's Atom's broken state.

I look at Bellamy and search his eyes to watch where his thought process is going to lead him. Is killing him the right thing to do? It would take him out of his misery and pain. But it is also taking his life away. He won't grow up to know what life on the ground will be like when the rest of the Ark comes down. Or is that another reason to kill him? Save him from that chaos?

"I…can't…breathe," Atom chokes out.

Charlotte reaches for the knife Bellamy gave her and hands it Bellamy. Then she says, "Don't be afraid." Ironic.

Bellamy turns around and looks at the rest of the group, "Go back to camp." Jones and the other hunting guys walk away. Charlotte stays put. "You too, Charlotte. Casady, you too."

Charlotte leaves without another word. I stay put. "I said go," Bellamy demands.

"I'm not leaving," I tell him.

Clarke kneels next to Atom. Atom begs again, "Pl…ease."

"I heard screams," Clarke tells us.

"Charlotte found him," Bellamy says.

I watch Clarke inspect Atom's wounds. She slowly looks up and shakes her head. That means he can't be saved. I inhale a sharp breath. This is my fault. I could have saved him, brought him into the cave with us.

"I need to go," I say and walk away.

"Casady…" Bellamy says quietly. I ignore him.

When I reach camp, my head is spinning and I'm hyperventilating. _Do you think Atom blames me? Did I do enough to help him? Could I have done more?_

Octavia is the first one to rush to my side. "Cass…Cass!" She holds my shoulders so that I stay in place.

I shake my head and feel the first tear fall down my face.

Octavia looks around to find people staring. So, she leads me into our shared tent.

"What the hell happened out there?" She asks.

I squeak, "Atom's dead. I could have helped him…"

"What!" Octavia stands. "What….no. That's not possible." Guilt courses through my veins as I think about her latest crush on Atom. "He was on the hunting trip with Bellamy."

"He fell behind. The fog got to him before he could reach safety. I tried helping him, Octavia. I did. I really did."

"So why didn't you?"

I bite my lip. Was it better for her to blame me or for her to blame her brother? I take the selfish root, "Bellamy…"

"Bellamy?" Octavia looks taken back.

"He stopped me. If I had gone after Atom, I would have been dead too."

Octavia bites her lips and turns away. I think she's mad at me. But she sits down next to me and lets me lean against her shoulder while she rubs my back comfortingly.

"It's going to be okay," She says.

I cry myself to sleep.

* * *

I wake up from a nightmare of Atom blaming me for his death. I wake with a gasp. Octavia left the tent while I was out.

I walk outside. Bellamy is back bossing people around, which means the others cannot be too far away.

I walk to the drop ship where Clarke, Finn, and Monty are gathered around Jasper's moaning figure.

"How's he doing?" I break their conversation and stand by Jasper's head. I brush strangling hairs away from his eyes that are squeezed so tight.

"Fine, now that we're back," Clarke says. "Murphy tried killing him while we were gone."

"Yeah, well, he's going to have to go through me to get to him." I lean down and kiss Jasper's forehead. I look at Clarke, "Can I get you anything?"

"Boiling water, and anything you could find to use as bandages."

"I'm on it," I walk out of the drop ship to find Murphy pressed up against a tree by Bellamy. And by the looks of Bellamy's face, he was pissed.

"My what! My what!" Bellamy yells, using his threatening tone.

I run over and grab Bellamy's shoulder, "Hey, knock it off."

"Your little sister," Murphy shoves Bellamy off. His eyes stick in a glare that sends shivers down my spine.

"Yeah, that's right. My little sister. Got anything else you want to say about her?"

"Nothing, sorry," Murphy walks away with steam coming out of his ears.

Bellamy bumps shoulders with me when he walks away. I take a deep breath to remind myself not to lose my temper.

I take a seat next to the fire as I wait for Clarke's water to boil. I'm so lost in my thoughts that I didn't even notice Octavia take a seat next to me.

"You know the water's been boiling for a while now," She says.

I snap out of my gaze and see bubbles ready to spill over. "Shit," I use my jacket to get the metal tin off so not to burn me too much.

"I guess we're gonna have to get used to people dying down here, aren't we? But not you. You hear me? You're not allowed to die."

"I will try my hardest," I smirk.

Octavia follows me into the drop ship and what I see shocks me. Jasper is sitting up on his elbows having a conversation.

"Jasper!" Octavia yelps and skips to him.

"Welcome back, buddy," Finn says. He must have just woken up.

"Was that a dream or did I get speared?" Jasper asks.

"You'll have a very impressive scar to prove it," Clarke smirks.

"My savior," He smiles up at her.

"Thank you for not dying. I don't think I could've taken that today."

"I'll try not to die tomorrow, too, if that's cool," Jasper says. I run to him and embrace him in a strong hug, "Oh, hello."

"I missed your sarcastic ass," I whisper in his ear and kiss his cheek.

"Well I missed you too…." Jasper says seductively yet sarcastically.

I look around the drop ship. The people around me grin to themselves and step closer to each other. This is my group. These are my people.


	4. Murphy's Law

**A/N: Hey guys sorry for the super late update! So happy to finally have gotten a review (And also very happy about the people following and favoriting my story. You guys rock!). As an answer to the review that asks when you're going to find out the story between Clarke and Casady...you will in a couple of chapters. Right now, Clarke doesn't even know the story behind it so we have to wait until Clarke and/or Casady come in contact with Abby. But you'll find out soon enough! Hope you guys are liking it.**

 **Disclaimer: I only own Casady.**

* * *

When I wake up I see people are gathered to one side of the wall. They try looking over it as they talk in whispers. Finn runs past me but I grab his arm and ask him what's going on.

"They got Wells just outside the wall," He explains.

"What do you mean ' _they got wells'_?" I ask.

Finn stays silent, but the answer is in his eyes. My heart drops to my stomach as I think about Wells actually being dead. I mean…I knew a lot of people wanted this, but never did I think someone would actually do it. Finn shakes his head in sorrow.

"Where's Clarke?" I ask.

"Cass…"

"Where's Clarke!" I demand. Last I found out, Wells and Clarke had forgiven each other.

Finn sighs and points to the drop ship. I sprint through the door and find her crying on the seat in the corner. She watches me walk towards her and breaks down harder.

I sit down next to her and let her cry into my shoulder, just like Octavia let me do to her yesterday.

"I treated him like crap," She cries. "I thought he was the reason that my father was floated, but he wasn't. It was my mom's fault. And Wells let me hate him to protect my relationship with my mother."

"Clarke, he didn't pass thinking you hated him." I say. "You guys have been best friends all your lives. One secret doesn't take away your past memories."

"Casady, there's something I have to tell you…"

Before she can tell me, and before I can ask her what it is, Finn walks into the drop ship.

"Ah, sorry…I didn't…." He stutters.

"No, its okay." I stand up to leave.

Clarke grabs my hand, "No, wait! Please, stay."

I make eye contact with Finn and nod my head slowly. I don't know why she wanted me to stay when she was obviously a lot closer to Finn. I guess she just wanted more people around for comfort. "Okay."

Finn walks over. In his hand his is a silver necklace made out of metal. On the necklace is a hand-made origami bird made out of metal. It was quite impressive, really.

"Where'd you get this?" Clarke takes the necklace.

"The art supply store," he responds.

Clarke thinks back on a memory, "I know when we were kids… Wells was always giving me ink, charcoal, just anything I could draw with, really. I found out later that he was trading his own stuff to give it to me. He didn't want me to know that, either. He let me hate him so that I wouldn't hate my mother."

"I know," Finn says soothingly.

I really feel that I need to get out of this drop ship so that the two of them can have their moment. Watching Finn look at Clarke, I can see the love in his eyes towards her. He really likes her.

"My mother killed my father. Just wish there was something I could do. To tell her I know. Make her feel what I'm…"

Clarke gets up from her seat and grabs a nearby knife.

"Where are you going?" I say loudly.

"To make her feel it," Clarke says.

She slides the knife up her bracelet and lifts up forcefully. The bracelet sparks and drops to the ground, cutting off all vital signals to the ark.

Clarke's jaw clenches in anger and lets the knife fall out of her hand.

I tilt my head and give her a pointed look. Clarke says, "What? Monty needed a working wristband."

"And you needed to punish your mother," Finn says.

"Look, they're running out of air, and we need their help. My mother thinking I'm dead is only temporary."

"Not if I can't patch it through the drop ship mainframe. I can do it. We'll be talking to The Ark by nightfall," Monty walks through the dropship at a great time. He leans down and picks up Clarke's bracelet.

"Casady," Octavia runs through the doors. "Can you help me assist Jasper in walking? He's too afraid to step outside the walls."

I nod, "Yeah sure," I glance one more time at Clarke and follow Octavia out the door.

* * *

Octavia goes on one side of Jasper and I on the other side. He's hesitant to walk further outside of camp. And I don't blame him either. If I were to get a spear through the chest I would never leave my safety zone. But Jasper will never survive if he stays in isolation.

"Look, we're already there. Just a few steps, okay? One foot in front of the other." I say.

Jasper jolts back at the hawk of a bird.

Octavia sees this, sighs, and stands in front of Jasper. "Jasper, it's been a week, okay? You've been given a second chance. You gotta use it."

Something fast runs towards Octavia and pushes her behind bushes. She lets out a small yelp and Jasper freaks the freak out.

"Octavia? Octavia? Octavia! Octavia, are you okay?" He screams.

"Hey, jerk! Get the hell out of here." Octavia hops into sight. A boy jogs back to camp, laughing at his own prank. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. Octavia rolls her eyes and shakes the dirt off of her pants. "Jasper, come on. There's nothing to be afraid of."

"Except for Grounders," Jasper says. "Can—Can I sit down?"

"Yeah, sure," Octavia sighs. "I've got some questions for you anyway," She points at me.

I raise my eyebrows. "Me? What did I do?"

"You said Bellamy stopped you from saving Atom?" Octavia says. His name has me look away. Which name? I don't know. Is that bad? "So, you must have been hiding from the fog with him."

"Bellamy, Charlotte, and I found a cave. We camped out…why? What's the big deal?"

Octavia shrugs, "There is no _deal_ but ever since, Bellamy hasn't been giving you the stink eye."

"Really?" I sit up straighter.

"Yeah, what did you say to him?"

I run my tongue over the top of my teeth. I didn't say much to Bellamy but it was more than what I've ever said to Octavia. In the skybox, I was only known as 'killer'. And I just let it happen. Octavia never talked about it, and I never asked about her brother. But was it because I didn't want to tell her or because the topic of discussion never came up?

"Cass?" Octavia says. "Whatever you told him, you can certainly tell me…right?"

"I…"

"Casady?" Jasper now looks at me questioningly.

"We talked about you," I said to Octavia. She raised her eyebrows shocked. "I respect him when it comes to protecting you. But I wanted him to know that he has nothing to be afraid of when it comes to me and you."

"And why would he be concerned?" O asks innocently.

My head falls. Maybe she really doesn't know. I mean, she was confined in a different area of the skybox. It's a good chance she never asked because she was being polite.

Jasper knows. I can tell as he watches me search for an answer.

I stand up ready to start a rant when the sun catches something. I narrow my eyes and walks towards the light.

"Cass?" Octavia stands.

"Oh my god," I whisper.

* * *

"What happened?" Bellamy walks through the main tent, pissed that we interrupted him from his daily tasks.

Finn, Monty, Jasper, Clarke, Octavia, I, and now Bellamy gather around a table that stands in the middle of the tent. On the table were my new findings. A blood soaked knife and two amputated fingers.

"This knife was made of metal from the dropship," Clarke explains.

"What do you mean?" Octavia asks.

"Who else knows about this?" Clarke asks me.

"No one," I shake my head. "We brought it straight here."

"Clarke?" Bellamy looks to her for an answer.

""It means the Grounders didn't kill Wells," Clarke states. "It was one of us."

"So, there's a murderer in the camp?" Octavia looks around for an answer.

Out of my peripheral vision, I see Bellamy glance my way.

"There's more than one murderer in this camp." He says. My mouth opens agape. Did he really just call me out? After the conversation we had. I guess he didn't believe me. Just like the rest of them. "This isn't news. We need to keep it quiet."

Clarke picks up the knife and examines it again. Her fingers lightly run over the handle.

Then, she tries pushing past us, "Get out of my way, Bellamy."

"Clarke, be smart about this. Look at what we've achieved… the wall, the patrols. Like it or not, thinking the Grounders killed Wells is good for us."

I glare, "Oh, good for you, you mean. What… keep people afraid and they'll work for you? Is that it?"

Bellamy glares back at me, "Yeah. That's it." He turns to the rest of the group. "But it's good for all of us. Fear of the Grounders is building that wall. And besides, what are you gonna do… just walk out there and ask the killer to step forward? You don't even know whose knife that is."

"Oh, really?" Clarke holds the knife to Bellamy's face. "J.M. John Murphy. The people have a right to know."

I knew he was no good. But I also knew storming out of the tent and starting a fight with Murphy was no good either.

"No water till this section is up!" Murphy yells at the people around him. "What are you staring at, huh?"

"You son of a bitch!" Clarke shoves Murphy.

"What's your problem!" Murphy demands.

"Recognize this?" She holds up the knife.

Murphy nods his head, "It's my knife. Where'd you find it?" He tries to snipe the knife back.

"Where you dropped it after you killed Wells," Clarke glares.

"Clarke," I warn as other by standers gather around.

"Where I what?" Murphy is taken back. "The Grounders killed Wells, not me."

"I know what you did, and you're gonna pay for it," Clarke threatens.

"Really?" Murphy says. He turns to Bellamy for some help. "Bellamy, you really believe this crap?"

Bellamy shrugs his shoulders.

"You threatened to kill him. We all heard you. You hated Wells!" Clarke accuses.

Murphy shrugs, "Plenty of people hated Wells. His father was the Chancellor that locked us up."

"Yeah, but you're the only one who got in a fight with him."

"Yeah, I didn't kill him then, either."

"Tried to kill Jasper, too," Octavia adds.

"Come on." Murphy looks around. "This is ridiculous. I don't have to answer to you. I don't have to answer to anyone."

"Come again?" Bellamy's arms are crossed and his eyebrows are raised. Wow, he really takes this leadership position seriously.

Murphy bites his lips, "Bellamy, look, I'm telling you, man. I didn't do this." Murphy looks at me and narrows his eyes. "Why don't we accuse the bitch that killed her own mother!"

My heart stops.

"What!" Octavia shouts, grabbing my shoulder and forcing me to look at her.

"I—I"

"Bitch can't even come up with an excuse. If she lies to her own best friend, who the hell else is shy lying to!" Murphy yells.

"They found his fingers on the ground with your knife!" Tears threaten to pour from my eyes.

"Is this the kind of society that we want? You say there should be no rules. Does that mean that we can kill each other without… without punishment?" Clarke announces the hundred.

"I already told you. I didn't kill anyone!" Murphy says.

"I say we float him!" A boy named Connor shouts and raises his fist.

"Yeah!" The hundred agrees.

"That's not what I'm saying," Clarke shakes her head.

"Why not? He deserves to float," Octavia says. "It's justice!"

"O…" I say.

"No," She points her fingers at my chest. Her face is red from rage. "You do not get to talk to me right now."

"Revenge isn't justice," I say through clenched teeth.

"It's justice," Octavia glares. "Float him!"

The crowd gathers around Murphy and begins beating him, listening to Octavia's protest to execute him. No one realizes that when we do that, we are no better than the Council from the Ark.

"No! Get off him! Get off of him! Let him go! You can't do this! Get off me. No! No!" Clarke shouts through the tears that threaten to fall. She tries pushing past the crowd to help Murphy but Bellamy's men hold her back.

I snap towards Bellamy and point to Murphy's beaten body. "You can stop this!" I clutch his arm when he tries turning away from me. "They'll listen to you!"

The crowd kicks Murphy down a hill. His mouth is gagged and his hands are tied. He has no way to defend himself. Never had I thought I would feel bad for Murphy.

Three men start tying a noose with loose rope and hang it around a tree. My heart halts at the picture.

They lift Murphy's bruised and bloody body and shove his head through the noose.

"Bellamy! You should do it!" Myles says, indicating towards the box that needs to be pushed away from Murphy to hang.

"Bel-la-my!" The crowd cheers and repeats.

"I saw you in the woods with Atom. I know you're not a killer!" Clarke tries pleading with Bellamy.

"Bellamy, don't do this. Don't…" Murphy begs.

I burst my way through the crowd until I feel someone's arms wrapped around me, stopping me from trying to free Murphy.

"Don't do this Bellamy!" I shout and fight against the arms.

"Don't Bellamy. You can't do this, Bellamy." Clarke cries. Bellamy shrugs his jacket off and moves to Murphy with a glare. "No, Bellamy, no!"

"This is on you, princess." Bellamy points at Clarke. "You should've kept your mouth shut!"

I feel tears slide down my cheek.

Bellamy kicks the box away from Murphy. Murphy drops and claws at the rope that strangles him.

"What the hell are you doing? Cut him down! Cut him down! Get out of my way." Finn screams, coming from the trees and looking at the crowd with a pissed off expression.

"Let me go," I elbow the guy holding me restraint.

"Stop!" A little girl steps out of the crowd. It's Charlotte. "Okay? Murphy didn't kill Wells! I did!"

"Oh my god," I feel the grip around my waist loosen. Everyone comes to a stop.

I run to Charlotte and grasp her arm forcefully. I do the only thing I can think of doing. I shove through the crowd and bring us into Bellamy's tent where I know no one will intrude.

* * *

Clarke, Bellamy, and Finn file into the tent a couple minutes later. I don't say a word. I can only stare at her with a stone cold glare. At first I thought she was young, but now that she has murder on her hands, she deserves to be treated as the rest of us.

"Bring out the girl Bellamy!" Murphy shouts outside.

"Why, Charlotte?" Bellamy asks. I hope he is feeling guilt and regret right about now. He deserves it.

"I was just trying to slay my demons, like you told me," Charlotte explains.

"Way to go," I mumble under my breath.

"You shut up," Bellamy points.

"What the hell is she talking about?" Clarke asks.

"She misunderstood me," Bellamy stutters, "Charlotte, that is not what I meant."

"Bring the girl out now!" Murphy screams.

"Please, don't let them hurt me," Charlotte begs.

"If you guys have any bright ideas, speak up." Bellamy says. No one says a word. "Now you stay quiet."

"Those are your boys out there," Clarke says.

"This is not my fault." Bellamy turns to the rest of us, "If she had listened to me, those idiots would still be building the wall."

"You want to build a society princess? Let's build a society. Bring her out!" Murphy says.

"No! Please, Bellamy!" Charlotte cries.

Bellamy takes a deep breath, "Charlotte, hey, it's gonna be okay." I groan, annoyed by the suspense. I rip the tent flap open and walk out. I heard Bellamy tell them, "Just stay with them."

"Well, well, well. Look who decided to join us," Murphy says. Bellamy comes out behind me. "Ah, now I'm speaking to two killers. Why don't you guys just do yourselves a favor and bring out the third."

"I didn't kill you," Bellamy said.

"Yeah to your infortune," Murphy scoffs.

"Dial it down and back off," Bellamy says.

"Or what? What are you gonna do about it? Hang me?"

"I was just giving the people what they wanted," Bellamy says.

"Yeah. Yeah, that's a good idea. Why don't we do that right now? So, who here wants to see the real murderer hung up? All in favor?" Murphy raises his hand. Out of his crowd of 50+, only four raise their hands. "I see. So, it's okay to string me up for nothing, but when this little bitch confesses, you all let her walk? Cowards! All of you are cowards!"

"Hey, Murphy! Murphy. It's over."

"Whatever you say, boss." Murphy says. Bellamy turns around and when he does, Murphy hits him over the head with a log, knocking him out.

"Bellamy!" I scream.

"Son of a bitch! Hey! Come on. Let's get the girl. Charlotte! Charlotte, I know you can hear me! And when I find you, you are gonna pay! Come on."

Murphy rips open the tent. I watch in horror but luckily no one is in there. Thank god.

Murphy leads his team of killers into the woods. I can't believe I am doing this but I stay with Bellamy and check the back of his head for extensive trauma.

Luckily there is nothing too significant, but if anyone can stop these people, it's Bellamy.

I dash towards the food supply tent and pick up a tin of water. I race back to Bellamy and kneel down next to him.

"Bellamy," I tap his face, bringing his head onto my lap. Still no response. "I am so not sorry for this," I say to myself. I take the tin of water and splash it in his face. He jolts awake. "Good morning sleeping beauty." I stand up, and his head hits the ground again. He groans, bringing his hand to rub his injuries. "Get up."

"What…"

"Murphy and his people are on the lookout for Charlotte and they're going to kill her unless you can stop him before he finds her."

Bellamy stumbles to walk faster with me, heading into the woods. "Where'd they go?"

"I don't know. They couldn't have gone that far. Just listen."

"You're mad at me." He states the obvious.

"You're an idiot."

"I was doing what I thought was right for the camp," Bellamy continues to defend himself.

"No, you were doing what was good for your ego. Because you knew that if you didn't do what your people wanted you to do, they would look upon you as a coward. Well guess what Bellamy Blake, you are." He stays quiet. "And just when I was starting to think you were a decent human being…"

"I—"

"Defending yourself right now is useless so don't bother wasting your breath," I snap.

Bellamy lets out a sigh and changes the subject, "Its too dark. Grounders are most likely prowling the area looking for their next victim. Its not safe out here."

"Then go back to camp if you're scared," I say, annoyed.

"We should rest."

"We don't have time," I argue.

"Casady," Bellamy's voice is desperate which makes me stop in my tracks to look at him. The bags under his eyes are evident and his breathing has become uneven. He probably has a pounding headache from Murphy's hit. "Please."

I reluctantly give in because despite what other people may say about me, I am a good person. "Fine."

My back is now resting on a tall tree. Its bark digs deep into my skin, but not drawing any blood. Fatigue runs through my bones and I slide myself to the ground.

Bellamy takes this as a sign to sit down too. "Octavia didn't know about your mother, I assume?"

I glare his way, "Do you ever shut up?"

"I could say the same for you," He says. "Look, I am sorry for the way things went down."

"Things have got to change around here, Bellamy. Listen, I am only going to say this once and I can't believe I am saying this, but you're a good leader. People actually listen to you because you're intimidating." Bellamy opens his mouth to say something but I hold up my index finger, "But I think you need help. Obviously, _'giving the people what they wanted'_ was not the right thing to do."

Bellamy nods his head, "And I can't believe I am saying this," he repeats after me, "but you're right."

"Hell yeah, I'm right." I say. "I think Clarke should help you."

"No—"

"She has the leadership skills, medical knowledge, and good judgment…other than what just happened an hour ago." I look pointedly at him, "And she's reasonable."

"Fine," he says. "Are you and I civil again?"

"We'll find out after we see what happens to Charlotte."

* * *

I feel a hand on my shoulder, shaking me slightly. My eyes that feel glued shut are ripped open. I make eye contact with Bellamy's brown colored eyes. I'm about to speak but he puts a hand over my mouth.

"Shh," he says, "I heard something."

I listen closely to what he is listening to and hear the crunching of leaves coming our way. The sky is a light orange meaning it's almost morning.

He keeps his hand over my mouth as if I have no self-control over my voice. He presses himself against me to hide behind the tree I am currently leaning on. And I have to say, if he wasn't such an ass, I wouldn't mind being in this position right now.

The footsteps pass us and Bellamy leaps away grabbing the person. I whip my head around to see he has grabbed Charlotte and thrown her over his shoulders. I get nervous because she is supposed to be with Clarke and Finn. So where the hell are they?

"Let me go!" She yells and hits Bellamy's back with her fists.

"I'm trying," Bellamy groans, "hey, hey. I'm trying to help you."

"I'm not your sister! Just stop helping me!" She arches her back and raises her head to the sky, screaming, "I'm over here!"

"Are you trying to get us killed?" Bellamy motions for me to follow.

"Just go, okay? I'm the one they want."

"Okay, Charlotte, listen to me. I wont leave you." Bellamy promises.

"Please Bellamy," Charlotte begs. Bell shakes his head. "Murphy! I'm over here!"

"Come on out, Charlotte! Come on out!" I hear Murphy's mocking tone of voice in the distance. He's close which means he can definitely hear her.

Bellamy and I run with Charlotte bouncing on Bellamy's shoulders. Murphy and his crowd find us sprinting and follow after us. It's three against fifty. We were going to die.

We reach a dead end. If we went any further we would run off of a cliff. A very very steep cliff that would have us tumbling into rocks and kill us instantly.

"What do we do?" I ask Bellamy.

He's lost in his own mind, searching for answers that we do not have. Murphy is the first one to show his face from behind the trees.

"Charlotte!" He says, "Dammit. Bellamy! You cannot fight all of us. Giver her up."

"Maybe not," Bellamy says, releasing Charlotte. "But I guarantee I'll take a few of you with me."

Clarke and Finn move their way to the front of the crowd. Panic is written on both of their faces. I silently breathe out a sigh of relief when I see that they're okay.

"Murphy, stop!" I step closer to him. "This has gone on too far. Just calm down and we can talk about this."

"I am so sick of listening to you talk," Murphy steps forward and grabs me by my wrists. I am so caught off guard, not expecting that at all, that by the time I can react he has a knife pressed against my throat. And I do not hesitate to think he will use it on me.

"Let her go!" Bellamy demands.

"Murphy, stop!" Clarke screams.

"No, please. Please, don't hurt her," Charlotte cries.

Murphy nods his head, "Don't hurt her? Okay, I'll make you a deal. You come with me right now, I will let her go." He shrugs, "What do you say? Killer for a killer? Sounds even to me."

"I will break every bone in your body, " I threaten.

"You won't be able to by the time I'm finished with you," He pressed the knife harder into my neck, breaking skin.

Charlotte sees the blood and cries even harder.

"Don't do it Charlotte," I tell her. No. I _demand_ of her.

"No! No, I have to! Murphy, this is not happening. I can't let any of you get hurt anymore. Not because of me. Not after what I did." Charlotte starts taking slow steps backwards.

I didn't realize what she was doing before it was too late.

"Charlotte! No! No, no, no! No!" Clarke cries.

Charlotte jumps to her death off of the cliff, plummeting to the rocks that kill her instantly.

Left in shock, I don't even feel Murphy's embrace loosen until Finn pulls me safely into him.

Bellamy charges at Murphy, knocking him to the ground and punching him endlessly. A beating that is worse than the one Murphy had before he was hung.

"Bellamy, stop!" Clarke walks over and grabs his raised fist. "You'll kill him!"

"Get off of me," Bellamy orders. "He deserves to die."

"No!" Clarke yells. "We don't decide who lives and dies. Not down here."

"So help me god, if you say the people have a right to decide…"

"No, I was wrong before, okay? You were right. Sometimes it's dangerous to tell people the truth. But if we're gonna survive down here, we can't just live by whatever the hell we want. We need rules."

"And who makes the rules, huh? You?" Bellamy scoffs.

"For now, we make the rules, okay?" she says. Bellamy looks at me for confirmation. This is literally what I said last night. The plan was falling into the right place.

He nods and stops Murphy's beating, "So, what, then? We just take him back and pretend like it never happened?"

"No!" Clarke thinks, "We banish him."

Bellamy nods and grabs Murphy by the collar of his jacket, "Get up," he says, hauling him to the side of the cliff. One slip of his hand, and Murphy was going down with Charlotte.

"Bellamy! Stop!"

"If I ever catch you near camp, we'll be back here. Understand? As for the four of you, you can come back and follow me, or go off with him to die. Your choice."

Murphy is the only one who leaves.

* * *

When we get back to the dropship, Clarke explains what happened to Jasper, Monty, and Octavia. "We have to know the truth. That's why we've decided to banish… Anybody got a problem with that?"

I look around to see if anyone was going to raise their hand and object. As soon as I make eye contact with Octavia, she looks away from me, disgusted. My heart breaks in two. It was weird to have Bellamy talk to me and not Octavia.

"Good. Monty how far have you gotten to reaching the Ark?"

"Will we be able to talk to them?" Jasper asks.

"No," Monty shakes his head. "More like morse code. You want to do the honors?" He asks Jasper. Jasper nods his head. "That port right there."

Jasper moves to stick something into a small port on the bottom of the dropship. I hold my breath, thinking we were just about to make contact with the Chancellor, but nothing happens. The connection between wires just spark.

"What the hell?" Octavia says.

"What happened?" Jasper asks.

"It didn't work," Monty looks down disappointed. "I think we fried all the wristbands."

"Great," Octavia brushes past me, hitting my shoulder with hers on the way out.

Never have Octavia and I gotten into a fight. Now, I know what a terrible feeling it is.


	5. Twilight's Last Gleaming

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the late update! Thanks for the follows and favs for this story. I really appreciate the interest in my story! In response to my last review, yes. I am following the episodes. Hope you guys enjoy!**  
 **Disclaimer: I only own Casady.**

* * *

"Octavia," I follow her, wanting nothing more than to explain myself to her before I die of guilt.

"Go away, Casady," She warns but I follow after her. "I don't want to talk to you. Not now…and probably not ever after what I know what you're capable of."

"It's not what it looks like!" I shout, but she continues to keep walking. I give up, turning away. I look for something to get my mind off of her.

"Hey look," someone announces, pointing their finger towards the sky. "A shooting star!"

I look up at the sky. Shooting stars are white, this one is pink and falls too close to the ground. But people's ideas of making a wish compromise their ability to see correctly. Was that harsh? Who cares. I'm pissed and Clarke is nowhere to be found for me to complain.

The only person I know will listen to me and be concerned of this 'shooting star' is Bellamy. I say this because Jasper and Monty are too busy making a wish for more drugs to get high off of, Octavia could care less for anything I have to say, and I have no idea where Clarke and Finn are….which is suspicious.

No longer afraid of what Bellamy says to me, I rip open his tent flap and poke half of my body inside.

My eyes widen when I see Bellamy lying down in the middle of two other girls who are shirtless.

"Casady," Bellamy says. His eyes are wide at the sudden intrusion. His chest and thighs poke out of the blanket which I have to admit aren't a bad sight to see.

The two girls next to him, one I know is Roma, struggle to shield themselves with his one blanket. This was just embarrassing.

"Hm, where was my invitation for this shameful…shameful night of endeavors?" I smirk. But I can't lie. Bellamy looks really good. "Really, Bell-Bell, I'm hurt," I place a hand over my heart dramatically.

"Get the hell out!" He uses his intimidating voice, but it doesn't work.

I laugh at myself and get more serious. "You're going to want to see this," I say before leaving the tent.

People take the sign of the shooting star to celebrate their wishes with some moonshine and lovemaking, something Bellamy has already started. Jasper and Monty stumble over my way laughing at nonsense.

"Here, Cass…have some." Jasper holds his tin of moonshine for me to take.

I glance at the tin and back at Bellamy, biting my lip at the temptation of gluttony. But when I look around the camp, watching as no one but these two, who are drunk off their asses, refuse to talk to me, I rip the tin open and gulp down the fiery liquid.

Bellamy walks out of his tent, midst putting a shirt on. Really? You couldn't even finish getting changed before coming outside.

Now was not a good time to have a serious conversation with Jasper and Monty since they're completely out of their minds.

"Can you guys go get me more? Lots and lots more…" I say as I think about the events that happened tonight that I just want to forget about.

"So what was it you wanted me to see?" Bellamy crosses his arms when Jasper and Monty leave giggling.

"Nice to see you clothed," I smirk. "Didn't know you had it in you Bellamy. I mean two girls…wow."

"Would you just shut up and tell me why you needed me and interrupted my good time?"

"There was a shooting star…" I tell him, shuffling from foot to foot. "But I don't think it's a shooting star."

"Is that why people are partying?" Bellamy asks. "Because of the shooting star?"

"Its there celebration of hope," I tell him.

"And you think its another pod from the Ark?"

"Exactly," I say. Jasper and Monty come back. This time, the tin is filled to the tippy top. When they hand it over my way, some of it spills all over my white shirt, showing off my black bra. "Wow, you guys are quick."

"We'll wait for Clarke and Finn to get back and then we'll talk about it. But let the others have their fun. You should too. Just let me know if you need help," He winks, then walks off to find Octavia.

I sigh, "Cheers." Jasper, Monty and I clank glasses together and join the rest of the party. I'm taking Bellamy's advice. I'm having fun.

* * *

"Cas-a-dy, Cas-a-dy, Cas-a-dy," People, people I don't even know, cheer me on. I'm sitting in front of a table, with small cups lined up in a row with newly made moonshine. My head is rushing, my adrenaline pumping! Man, I haven't felt this good in such a long time. No worries, no stress, no plan for tomorrow. It's all forgotten.

"Okay, you know the rules," Miller conducts the competition between me and a boy I don't even know. Andrew, maybe? "Hands behind the backs, no help from the audience, and first one to down all their shots win. Got it?" We nod. "Go!"

The people around us cheer wildly. Never have I had this much attention before in my life. I feel light, happy, and free; like I could do anything I want.

I grab each shot glass with my teeth, lifting my head back and letting the alcohol slide smoothly down my throat, leaving a bitter and hot aftertaste. But I can only crave more.

I get to the last one. My opponent is one behind. I act quickly and gulp down my last shot. I let the shot glass drop after it's components are emptied. I jump high in the air for victory.

People bounce next to me, holding onto my shoulders, picking me up. Damn, I must be good.

"Casady!" Clarke's booming voice is heard throughout the crowd. People don't stop chanting my name, but I hear her. The crowd is too blurry for me to focus on anything.

I reach down and feel hair, finally realizing I'm on someone's shoulders. How did I get up here?

"Casady!" There's my name again. Familiar blonde hair pushes through the crowd.

"Clarke!" I giggle.

"Can you put her down? I really need to talk to her," Clarke asks the man carrying me around. What's his name?

The guy lets me go and I smoothly slide off his shoulders. Clarke pulls on my arm, but I tell her to wait, holding my index finger up to her.

I turn around, grabbing the boy's arm that was just holding me and kiss him on the lips. I don't know who he is, but I know he's brunette, and I am into brunettes. He runs his hands through my hair, clearly getting into it. Man, I must be good. I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him closer if that was even possible.

"Ha, yeah!" Finn claps his hands.

"Finn," Clarke gives him a glare. He shuts up immediately. She pulls me away, "Okay, now we're leaving."

I stumble with them. Left foot, right foot. Was I saying it out loud?

"Where were you guys? We missed you." I pout.

"We can talk when you're sober," Clarke grunts, holding my hand.

"Hey," I say, noticing something, "Did you know we kind of look alike?" Clarke stops walking, causing me to walk into her back. I stumble backwards with our hands still connected. If Finn weren't behind to catch me, I probably would have fallen on my ass.

"Clarke," Finn says softly. He releases me and walks around us to look Clarke in the eyes. What's going on? Did I say something? "She's drunk, okay? Let's keep on walking."

Clarke nods her head and reconnects our hands.

We travel to the other side of camp, where Bellamy and Octavia await. As soon as Octavia and I make eye contact, I feel the need to vomit.

"Good. Now that we're all here," Octavia says, "We should get moving."

"No one's going anywhere," Bellamy says. "Not while it's dark. It isn't safe. We'll head out at first light. Pass the word."

Bellamy gets ready to leave but Octavia blocks his exit. "Everyone for a hundred miles saw this thing come down. What if the Grounders get to it first?"

"I said we wait until sunrise."

Wow, no one is as happy as me right now.

Clarke and Finn leave me to get some sleep. Octavia leaves me because she's pissed enough to not even look at me.

Later, no one catches Bellamy's actions but me. He goes to the food supply tent with an empty bag. I sit down and watch what he comes out with. Like it's a movie with suspense. Wow, everything is spinning.

Bellamy exits the tent with a full bag. He searches the crowd to make sure no one is watching. He is looking for witnesses.

"Don't do it Casady," I whisper to myself, bouncing on my heels in anticipation. I watch Bellamy leave camp through the back gate where no is watching. "Dammit." I can't help to stop myself. I leave out the back gate when no one is looking.

* * *

Okay, by this point, I have sobered up enough to know my whereabouts and how serious this situation could be. I'm not stupid, but my on coming headache says that I previously was.

I've been stalking Bellamy now for a good 30 minutes without his knowledge and learn we're going into the same direction that the pod had dropped.

Me, being an idiot, stumbled over a fallen branch, making crunching noises with the leaves. I hide behind the tree in hopes that Bellamy didn't see me. But only an idiot would ignore such distinct evidence that they were being followed.

"Who's there?" I hear his deep voice call out.

I let out a sigh. There was no way that I was going to keep on going without getting unnoticed.

I step out from behind the tree. Bellamy sees me and glares my way.

"What are you doing out here?" He says. "I said we would head out in the morning. And you're drunk, you shouldn't be out here."

"You said to come find you if I wanted to have some fun," I smirk. "Adventures sounds like a great time."

"That's not the kind of fun I was talking about princess," Bellamy smirks. Ha! A smile. "Now, leave."

"Okay, in all seriousness, you're being an idiot. You're going towards the pod for whatever reason, and you stole a shit ton of food that won't all be used for this small trip." I tell him. "So, what's going on?" Bellamy hesitates, but something is on his mind. "Look, right now you have no one. And right now, I have no one. Looks to me like we're a great fit to complain about our problems."

"It doesn't matter what I'm going through," Bellamy says.

I move to step in front of him. "I said the same thing about myself the night we were trapped from the fog. And you know what you said? You said 'I can help'." Bellamy looks away at the mention of our past conversation. "Did you mean it? Would you help me if you could?"

Bellamy licks his lips and looks straight into my eyes, "Yes, of course."

"Then, let me do the same." I slap my hands down on my thighs, "I mean come on. It can't be worse than killing your own mother. Cause apparently, that's what I did." Bellamy refuses to meet my eyes. Instantly I get nervous, "Bellamy, what did you do?"

"I shot him," He says quietly.

"Shot who?" I take a step forward.

"I shot Jaha. That's the difference between you and I. You're accused for murder when you didn't do it. I get away with it because no one down here knows, but I _did_ do it."

"What?" Octavia steps out from behind the bushes, obviously having heard that entire conversation.

"I found out they were sending you to Earth. I couldn't let you go alone. Someone came to me with a deal. Do this, kill him, and they'd get me on the dropship. And I did it."

"You killed the chancellor?"

"He floated our mother. He locked you up," Bellamy defends himself. "He deserved it."

Can't blame him there.

"I didn't ask you to do that," She takes a cautious step away, disgusted by her brother's actions. As bad as it sounds, it feels good not to be on the top of Octavia's 'pissed off' list.

"You're right. I made the choice. This is on me. Whatever they sent down, I'll take care of it."

"I didn't ask for any of this," She walks away with threatening tears.

"Looks like we're both in the dog house now," I say when Octavia disappears behind the trees.

"You should go talk to her," Bellamy turns around to walk away.

"No," I run and stop in front of him, " _We_ should go talk to her. Together."

Bellamy halts to a stop and rolls his eyes, annoyed, "When the Council find us they will kill me instantly."

"Well hiding out in the open all alone isn't going to keep you safe either. The Grounders will kill you."

"Don't worry about me."

"You know, I was just starting to think of you as a leader," I glare. "But you're really nothing but a coward."

I shove by him and run for the dropship. I knew there was no way of convincing him to come back. His mind was set on leaving and Bellamy is stubborn.

* * *

I find Octavia a couple miles outside of camp. She's stomping back to camp while breathing heavily.

I take a deep breath and jog over to her.

"Octavia!"

"Leave me alone," She doesn't look back.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about my mother," I say. "I didn't tell anyone about the night she died because people already heard the one side of the story." Octavia stops in her tracks and snaps in my direction, which I take as a sign to continue. "I told your brother when we were in isolation from the acidic fog." I take a deep breath, "I didn't kill my mother. I found her on the floor, already dead. But I tried resuscitating her anyway. So when the guards came into my cabin, they saw the blood on my hands and automatically assumed it was me."

"Why didn't you just tell me?" Octavia asks.

"Because I have never told my story to anyone who believed me. So I've just given up." I look at her with watering eyes, "Can we please be friends again? I miss you."

Octavia takes a second to think about it and I swear I almost die from the suspense.

"I missed you too," A grin slowly spreads across her face.

"That was so mean," I pout, and we hug it out and I hold her tight, afraid that when I let go she won't want to be my friend anymore.

"Come on," Octavia pulls away with a giggle. "Let's go warn the others about Bellamy."

We grab each other's hand and start running north. The trees whoosh past us has we jump over rocks and dive under branches.

We run towards the edge of the hill and the sun is starting to set. Damn that was one quick day. Did I even sleep?

As I am thinking of unimportant things, I hear a grunt and a stumble. Octavia tripped and has fallen down the hill and rolled into a pair of bushes.

"Octavia!" I scream after. The hill is steep, no matter how I decide to go down it, I will most likely hurt myself. But I sure as hell cannot leave her here, out in the open for any Grounder to see her.

So I said, "fuck it," and with a running start, I jumped down the hill. And yes, I did trip, rolling my ankle and tumble down the grassy hill.

"Ugh," I groan, grabbing my twisted ankle and lightly massage it.

I pull myself over to where Octavia lay unconscious. I take her head and place it on my lap, moving her hair out of her face. She has a deep cut, running across the front of her scalp to her forehead. Luckily it wasn't deep enough to cause severe damage.

I try shaking her awake, but I knew she was going to be out for a couple of hours. So I waste the time by picking the sticks and leaves out of her hair and off of her face. After a couple hours of waiting, I feel myself begin to zone out.

* * *

I wake up to someone holding my hands together. I jolt, sitting up straight and can only see a tall, dark figure standing over me. Unless Octavia gained 100 pounds of muscle, this was certainly not her. I'm about to scream but the Grounder covers my mouth with his abnormally large hand and points to Octavia.

Octavia, looking frightened, shakes her head to warn me to shut up. Her hands are tied too. The blood on her face has dried.

I'm yanked up into a standing position, connected with the Grounder by rope around my wrists. He pulls Octavia to a standing position and glances at the two of us. We do not say a word as he pulls us along on a trail that may never end.


	6. His Sister's Keeper

**Disclaimer: I do not own any Character from the 100. I only own Casady.  
** **Episode: His Sister's Keeper**

I wake up to screaming. I don't know when I passed out, but I must have been out for a while because when I wake up, I'm in a dark place. A cave, I think.

Water drips from somewhere, making deep pitter-patter sounds into a forming puddle, rough rocky walls arch above us, and the only source of light is from hand-made torches.

My brain starts functioning again when I realize Octavia is the one screaming. The Grounder who had taken us has a sword pressed against her injured leg. The metal of the sword is illuminated with an orange-red color, meaning he must have heated it in the fire.

"Hey!" I call out. I didn't know what else to say. To back off? He wouldn't back off just because I told him too. It wasn't till after he looked at me that I didn't feel fear. I glance to the sword back at Octavia's leg. "Are you helping her?" I ask quietly.

Octavia's face, still lit from pain, glances from me to the Grounder. My words calm her slightly, but barely.

He doesn't say a word. He turns around to press the sword against Octavia's leg again. And her painful scream erupts throughout the cave.

* * *

 **CLARKE'S POV**

Yesterday, Raven was sent from a pod by my mother down to Earth. In her pod, she had a radio that could be used to contact the Ark. However, Bellamy had gotten to the radio first and thrown it into a river, almost destroying the entire thing. This was his way of protecting himself from the Council since he killed Jaha. But because of his selfish actions, the Ark may not hear us in time to save the people who will be sacrificed for more oxygen supply.

And as if that wasn't enough, today I can't find Casady and my stress level has increased dramatically.

"Octavia!" Bellamy shouts outside of my tent. He then barges in and asks, "You up?" He holds a torch in his hands and his eyes read the same as mine, frantic.

"Yeah, not only knowing that hundred of people may be dying on the Ark make it pretty hard to sleep, but I can't find Casady anywhere. Have you seen her?"

"Raven's flares will work," Bellamy responds to my first comment. Raven, since the radio is busted, has started a new project to grab the attention of the Ark by sending bright flares into space to let them know there is life here on Earth.

"Her radio would have worked better," I say, pushing past him and opening someone's tent, searching for Casady's body. She wasn't in there—just a pissed off couple.

"Have you seen Octavia?" Bellamy asks.

"No, have you seen Casady?" I ask.

"Not since yesterday," Bellamy says. He shuffles in place, "Clarke, I've checked the camp. They're not here."

"Okay, okay, okay," I press my hands to my forehead to try and stop this oncoming headache. My heart race is speeding, and I'm starting to sweat as I think about the worst possibilities. Who knew I could be so worried about someone other than my mom or dad? I haven't felt this way since my dad was taken to be floated by Jaha. "Let's check again. You go to the dropship. I'll check the rest of the tents."

"Thank you," He breathes.

"Don't thank me," I say, still pissed off that he killed our only chance of contacting the Ark by thinking of himself only, "I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing it for Casady and Octavia."

"You and Casady have gotten really close since we landed, haven't you?" Bellamy narrows his eyes. "You have this same feeling that I have right now, don't you? A feeling you don't get for a new friend."

"I'm not talking about this with you right now," I tell him, "We've got to find our…." I stop myself before I can say the word _sisters._ Not only did I not need Bellamy in my business, but it would be wrong to tell him before I even told Casady. "…your sister, and my friend."

Bellamy gives me a questioning look, but I walk away fast before I can be peer pressured into telling him what was wrong.

* * *

After searching the dropship and the rest of the tents, neither one of us had found any sign of our sisters. We thought the next best thing was to gather a search team, and it seemed reasonable because they have been missing for more than twelve hours.

"Hey everybody, gather round and grab a weapon," Bellamy orders the people around us. "My sister and her friend have been out there alone for twelve hours. Arm up. We're not coming back without them."

Jasper, who is standing right next to me, nods his head and grabs a knife. When he does, I notice that the hand holding the knife is shaking. His nerves of going back out into the open must be getting to him. I grab his hand in mine, "Hey, Jasper. You don't have to do this. You haven't left camp since we brought you back."

Jasper takes a deep breath and nods, "Clarke, I need to do this."

I nod my head, allowing him to take the next step of his recovery.

"We need all the people we can get!" Bellamy says. He looks down at me, "We need a tracker." I knew exactly who he was looking for. I squeeze my eyes shut, knowing who he was going to call and it was exactly who I didn't want to see. "Finn! Get out here!" I have to remind myself that this is about Casady. Not me. "Finn! We're leaving!"

Finn runs out of the tent he is now sharing with Raven (which makes me sick to my stomach). His hair is jagged like some of it was cut off by a dull knife.

"Nice hair," I scoff. "Casady and Octavia are missing." Finn's faces drops to one of surprise. "It's been twelve hours…what if something happened to her? Then what?"

"Clarke," he says soothingly. "We're going to find her. And she is going to be okay. If I know Casady, I know she doesn't go down without a fight."

"Okay," I take his word for it, even though I shouldn't be doing that.

"Guys, come here!" Someone says. We look towards the guy who caught our attention. His finger is pointing towards the sky. "Did you see that? Look up there. It's so beautiful."

Hundred of shooting stars, the same that looked like Raven's pod, drop down to Earth from outer space.

"They didn't work," Raven says sullenly from behind me. When did she get there? "They didn't see the flares."

"A meteor shower tells you that?" Bellamy says.

"It's not a meteor shower, it's a funeral. Hundreds of bodies being returned to the Earth from the Ark. This is what it looks like from the other side." I say and turn to Raven, "They didn't get our message."

Raven marches towards Bellamy, spitting with rage. "This is all because of you!" Finn and I think fast by holding her back before she made a mistake that would piss Bellamy off.

"I helped you find the radio," Bellamy scowls.

"Yeah, after you jacked it from my pod and trashed it!"

"Yeah, he knows," I say and look directly at Bellamy. "Now he has to live with it."

Bellamy licks his lips. "All I know is that my sister and Casady are out there and I'm going to find them." It's kind of weird to hear my sister's name coming out of Bellamy's mouth in a protective way. Before, the only human being he cared about was Octavia, and now he is worried for Casady's life? What changed? He turns to Finn, "You coming or what?"

"Yeah," Finn nods.

Bellamy turns to the rest of the delinquents, "What are we waiting for? Move out!"

"We have to talk to them. Three hundred won't be enough. The oxygen level will just keep dropping and if we don't tell them that they can survive down here, they'll kill more people. They have to." I say to Raven.

"Guys, we've got to go," Jasper tells us.

I'm about to follow Jasper but Finn's hand on my shoulder stops me. "You shouldn't go. You're way to distracted and distraught to find Casady. It would only slow us down. You're a better asset here."

"That's my sister," I whisper low enough into his ear so that no one else can hear.

"I promise I will bring her home safely. You have my word on that." Finn looks at Raven, "I gotta do this. And you should stay and fix the radio, okay?"

"Fix it? The transmitter's smashed. Unless there's a parts depot down here we're not talking to the Ark." She says.

"Art supply store," I sigh. Finn is right, I need to stay back and help. He will take care of Casady until she comes back. Until then, I have to work with Raven, which has my stomach churning. "I know a place where you might be able to get a transmitter."

Raven looks between me and Finn, "Great. I guess you're coming with me then."

"Finn? We're not going to find them without you," Jasper calls.

Finn glances at both me and his girlfriend, "Be careful." He steps away.

Raven stops him, "Hey." She grabs his cheeks and kisses him. "I love you."

I don't think Raven noticed when he hesitated to say it back. "I love you too," He says and leaves with the search party.

Awkwardly, I say, "It's uh, this way."

Raven and I leave for the art supply store that Finn and I found together. This is going to be weird.

* * *

 **BELLAMY'S POV:**

As we look for Octavia and Casady, I can't help but let my mind wander back to the look of distraught met by Clarke as she searched for Casady. The way her eyes never stopped moving, how her hands were shaking, and how her breathing was panicky mirrored exactly how I was feeling. But Octavia was my sister, so it made sense for me to feel this way. What did Casady and Clarke's relationship involve?

The more I think of it, her wavy blonde hair, soft blue eyes, and clear skin resembles a lot of Clarke's overall appearance. My mind continues to wander and I have to stop myself. No, there was no way. The conversation would have come up between Casady and I, wouldn't have? Though, we're not close friends—not in the least—I feel like she would have said something to me.

Oh Casady. I can't help but feel drawn to her every time I see her. Yeah, I make jokes to her about hooking up, but in a way I'm serious. She is outgoing, smart, leader-like, and compassionate. After hearing about her side of the story that revolves around her mother, I want to know more about her. Who else knows what else she has locked into that head of hers? Octavia, maybe. But she would never tell me.

"Look! Over here!" Someone shouts. He points his lighted torch down a narrow hill. "Right there!"

There is something hiding under the bushes. I shrug my pack off, and I pull out some rope. I tie one end to the top and use it so that I can climb back up after retrieving whatever the heck it is.

Breathing heavily, I pick up a flashlight that I recognize as the one I gave Octavia in the beginning of our journey here on Earth. "It's hers," I say.

Finn climbs down the rope next and stares at the ground. I follow his gaze and see large pairs of footprints, and next to them are smaller pairs of footprints.

"Someone else was here," Finn says. "That print is too big to be either of the girls."

"He must have carried one and the other follow behind," I say, suddenly becoming more and more nervous that I wasn't going to find Octavia nor Casady in the right condition.

"If they took her, she's alive," Jasper says. "Like when they took me."

"C'mon," Finn says. "Let's follow them."

We follow the prints for less than hour before we reach a dark area that is filled with hanging skeleton bones, engraved trees, and eerie birdcalls. It reminds me of the scary books my friends and I would read as kids.

We kneel down behind a bush to hide from any by standing Grounder that could catch us in their territory.

"I don't speak Grounder," Finn says, "But I'm pretty sure this means keep out."

"Let's get out of here," Someone says.

"Yeah," Another agrees.

"I'm outta here."

"Yeah, me, too."

"I'm out."

"Go back if you want," I tell them. "My sister, my responsibility."

"Same here," Finn agrees. I narrow my eyes in his direction. He catches my stare and coughs, quickly correcting myself. "Casady, I mean. It's a long story, but I'm not leaving here without her."

"I'd walk into hell to find them," Jasper says.

"I think we just did," Finn says, nodding to us to keep moving.

As we do, I begin to panic as I feel like we are getting nowhere.

"We lost the trail," Finn says.

"Keep looking," I tell him.

"Wandering around aimlessly isn't the way to find your sister. We should backtrack."

"I'm not going back," I say, standing my ground.

"Hey, where's John?" Roma asks, as she looks around for the lost boy in our group.

"I just saw him a second ago," Jasper says.

"Spread out," I order. "He couldn't have gotten that far."

"We shouldn't have crossed that boundary," Jasper says.

As we search for John, arrows fly past us and stab into the trees. We duck, dodging the murderous tools. Grounders. I knew they would show up at some time.

"Let's go! Let's go!" Finn shouts.

We start sprinting in the direction we were slowly walking to, making sure to keep our heads low.

"What are we going to do? They keep heading us off!" Someone shouts.

"Just keep running," Another says.

"I can't run much longer!" Jasper breathes heavily from behind me.

Diggs, another man in our search party, says, "I'm not stopping for him!"

I stop, taking our my knife and say, "I'm sick of running anyways."

"Hey, what are you doing?!" Finn shouts.

"They know where she is," I shout back.

An arrow whistles past my ear and hits Roma in the chest, pinning her to a tree. Blood comes out of her mouth. The color in her faces slowly drains and her eyes become lifeless.

"Roma!" I cry. Guilt courses through my veins. The only reason she was out here in the first place was to impress me. And it cost her life.

"Stop," Finn says. Realization shines in his features, "They were leading us here. It's the only direction we could run in."

Great. We've just run into their trap. Now, what?

* * *

 **CASADY'S POV:**

The Grounder took us out of the cave and tied our wrists together again with rope. On our walk, we past Roma, whom I recognized from Bellamy's tent, stabbed with an arrow, dead.

Octavia and I trailed behind the Grounder since our rope was connected around his waist leaving about 15 inches from him to us.

I was right when I said that the burning metal against Octavia's leg did indeed help her. She was able to walk less painfully than she was before. But as we continue on our journey with this stranger, I can see Octavia starting to struggle. And I know she won't say anything in case it risks her life.

"Hey," I call out to the Grounder. "Hey." I say again. He finally glances over his shoulder but keeps on walking. "My friend's leg is starting to hurt her. She needs rest."

The Grounder stops and nods his head in agreement.

"Thank you," I say to him.

We take a seat behind a rock. I look at Octavia's leg which is beginning to scar. A good sign. Then I take a look at her head and see that that cut is also starting to scab. Another good sign.

"You saved my life," Octavia says to the Grounder. "That girl back there, I knew her, so if she's here then so is my brother." Octavia grows anxious, "Please, you have to help him, too. They'll kill him."

The Grounder just stares at Octavia with no emotion revealed on his face.

"You don't understand us, do you?" I say. Again, he just stares at me. "Great."

"Why are you taking care of me? You found me at the bottom of that ravine. Fixed my knee."

The Grounder stands up and walks towards us. He grabs Octavia by the hands and then me, bringing us to standing position.

"What are you doing? Please don't do this," Octavia cries. "Stop it! No, Stop it! Please! Please don't do this!"

But he doesn't care. And suddenly, I become more frightened than I was before, and I didn't think that was possible.

* * *

 **BELLAMY'S POV:**

As soon as we find one Grounder, we hide, analyzing his every movement, waiting for a sign of Octavia or Casady.

"I think he's alone," Finn says.

"I'm going after him," I say.

"And what? Kill him?"

"No," I say. "Make him tell me where Octavia is, then kill him."

"How do we know he's not leading us into another trap?" Jasper asks.

I look at both Finn and Jasper, hoping I can think of a better answer than I am going to give them. "We don't."

* * *

 **CASADY'S POV:**

"What was that?" I sit up. The ties on my hand restrain me from looking further. Octavia gets up and looks for the same noise. Unfortunately, the Grounder searches for the same noise made by an intruder.

As he scouts for the invader, there is a loud thump. The Grounder goes down and hits the floor with a thud.

Bellamy, Finn, and Jasper emerge from the darkness, breathing heavily and sweating.

"Finn?" I say.

Finn hears my voice and runs in my direction. His hands lightly hold my face; so light as if my face was delicate and it would break with any more pressure.

"You don't know happy I am to see you," He breathes out a laugh.

"How'd you find me?" I ask.

Finn moves his hands down to my restraints and undoes my ties. "We followed him," Finn nods his head towards the Grounder that is unconscious on the floor.

"We should go," Jasper speaks up. "Now, before he wakes up."

Bellamy finishes untying Octavia's hand, "He's not going to wake up." He moves to stand over the Grounder, his knife gripped tightly in his hands.

"Bellamy, stop! He didn't hurt me," Octavia says.

"She's right," I say, moving away from Finn. "Let's just go."

"They started this!" Bellamy points his knife at the Grounder.

The Grounder moves like a ninja and stabs the closest person to him with a knife he had been hiding as he was…. apparently not unconscious.

"Finn!" I screech, I push past Octavia and Bellamy to kneel down next to Finn. There's a knife stuck in his abdomen. My instinct is to pull it out, but it could cause more bleeding.

The Grounder pushes Bellamy against the wall, punching him repeatedly. Bellamy struggles to fight back but it's no match against the Grounder's ruthlessness.

"Stop! That's my brother," Octavia tries to get into the middle.

"Foghorn," Jasper whispers besides me as he holds onto some wooden artifact.

When I wasn't looking Bellamy was able to knock out the grounder for good now. I'm breathing so hard, it's all I can hear. My brain goes fuzzy and I don't know what to do next.

"Casady," Bellamy says. When did he kneel next to me? "Casady, it's time to go. Jasper, help Casady carry Finn."

* * *

"We need Clarke," I scream the second that my foot hits the ground inside of the wall at camp.

"I'm here," Clarke walks out of one of the tents with another girl, "Casady!" She screams. "Finn?" Her attention quickly diverts to the body in Jasper's hands. "Oh my god."

The other girl sees Finn and becomes a lot more emotional, "Oh, oh, my god," her shaky hands slowly moves to cover her mouth.

"He's alive," I say.

"Casady wouldn't let me take the knife out," Jasper says.

"No, that was a good call," Clarke says, pointing to the dropship, "Get him in the dropship now. Go!"

"Clarke," the tan brunette grabs Clarke's hand. "Can you save him?"

Clarke shakes her head, "No. Not me. My mom. I need to talk to her."

"There's still no radio," the girl breathes.

"Raven, fix it!" Clarke orders. When she leaves, Clarke brings me in for a hug, "Thank god you're okay. I was so worried."

I nodded, "I couldn't leave Octavia."

"Good."

"Go save Finn," I give her the 'okay' that it was fine for her to leave me to save her boyfriend. Well, her almost-boyfriend. The boy that is her friend that likes her very much and she likes him. The boy that should be her boyfriend.

"Hey, hey!" I hear Bellamy's yell from the other side of camp. He moves closer to Octavia who is trying her best to get away from him. "Why were you defending him?"

"Because he saved my life," Octavia rips her hand out of Bellamy's.

"For all you know, he was keeping you alive to use as bait for one of their traps."

"No, I don't think so," Octavia says.

"You don't think, O!" Bellamy shouts. "That's the problem! They killed three of our people today. And if you would've let me kill him when I had the chance, Finn wouldn't be in there dying right now."

"Stop blaming me for your mistakes," Octavia seethes, "What happened to Finn is not my fault."

"I wanted to leave," Bellamy says. "So if Finn dies in there, that's on you.

Everything that has gone wrong is because of you."

"You got me locked up on the Ark," Octavia shouts. "You wanted me to go to that stupid dance. You got Mom killed!"

"Me?" Bellamy is fuming at this point, "Mom was floated for having you. She's dead because you're alive."

"That was her choice," Octavia lowers her shaking voice.

"My life ended the day you were born." Bellamy walks away in my direction to close the door behind me.

"Where do you think your going?" Octavia calls after him, "You can't keep me locked up in here forever."

"Get inside," Bellamy ignores Octavia and orders me inside. "A storm's coming."

Heck yeah, there is. Thank god I don't have a sibling.


	7. Contents Under Pressure

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait. I'll make it up to you by uploading the next one soon!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any characters but my own.**

* * *

The sky is a gloomy dark gray, dropping heavy rain down onto camp. I stick myself into the comfort of my own tent, isolating myself from the crazy work around me. All I hear is muffled shouting from Bellamy's guards.

Bellamy. Bellamy brought Finn, Jasper, and others out to look for Octavia. And because of it, Finn has been stabbed, possibly to death.

If Finn hadn't come searching for me, he wouldn't be fighting for his life. He wouldn't be relying on Clarke to rip a knife out of his chest.

"You can't blame yourself for this," Octavia walks into the tent. She sighs when I refuse eye contact, "Finn would want you to stay by his side as he struggles to breathe." I don't respond again, and she gets frustrated. "He risked his life to save yours. So stop moping around and help us out at the dropship."

Octavia walks out after that. I raise my eyebrows, shocked by her outburst. Maybe she's right. I could be spending my time helping save Finn's life instead of already mourning it.

I wipe stray tears away from my face and walk to the dropship. Outside, men hold a flapping tarp in the wind.

On the bottom floor, Raven tampers with the radio calling out to possible listeners on the Ark, "This is Raven Reyes. Calling Ark Station," her voice becomes more desperate, "Come in Ark Station. This is Raven Reyes. Calling Ark Station. Please come in. Can anybody hear me?"

"Are you sure you have the right frequency?" Someone I don't know asks.

Forcefully Raven says, "Yeah, I'm sure."

"Raven?" Clarke says. She gives her a reassuring nod, "You can do this. Okay?" Raven nods. Clarke turns to me, "Can you come help me please?"

Clarke leads me upstairs where Finn currently lies on a makeshift bed. The knife is still sticking out of his chest. I have to take a deep breath and think back on Octavia's words to convince me not to turn around.

"Raven, are you there?" A voice of static comes from Raven's radio. Mine and Clarke's neck snap in her direction and we sprint to her.

"Mom? Mom, it's me," Clarke says immediately reaching the radio. Mom? She must be excited.

"Clarke?" The woman's voice says from the other side.

"Mom, I need your help. One of our people was stabbed by a Grounder."

"Clarke," a man's voice that I know all too well speaks through the radio from the Ark, "This is the Chancellor. Are you saying there are survivors on the ground?"

"Yes, the Earth is survivable. We're not alone. Mom, he's dying. The knife is still in his chest."

"Okay, can you patch me through to medical?" Clarke's mom, Abby, speaks to someone on the Ark.

"Clarke, is my son with you?" Chancellor Jaha asks. In that split second I actually feel bad for Jaha. But then I remember he is the reason that Wells is dead.

"I'm so sorry," Clarke says. "Wells is—Wells is dead."

There's silence through the radio for a few seconds that I think that we lost them.

"I'm going to talk you through it, step by step." Her words become unrecognizable, and now I really think we lost them.

"Raven, what's wrong?" I ask.

"It's not the radio, it's the storm," Raven panics, pressing buttons.

"Clarke, we need to hurry," Abby's voice comes back to normal. I let out a sigh of relief and prep myself to get anything that Clarke will need.

Octavia walks into the dropship with two canisters. Clarke takes one of them and mutters under her breath, "Great," She brings one of the canisters to her nose and sniffs. "Ugh. Monty's moonshine?"

"Pretty sure no germ could survive it," Octavia nods her head. She places the other canister on the side.

A loud crack of thunder has us jump in our place. We look towards the door, afraid of our time constraint.

"Storm's getting worse," I say. "Monroe, close the doors."

"But we still have people out there," She argues.

"Monty and Jasper still aren't back yet. Neither is Bellamy," Octavia tells me.

"It's okay," Clarke says. "They'll find somewhere to ride it out."

Raven clears her throat to get Clarke's attention. She holds out a thin needle for Clarke to take, "One stitching needle."

"Great," Clarke takes it from her. "I still need something to close the wound."

"There's no wire on the second level. I used it for the tents," Octavia says.

"Let's see it," Clarke nods at Raven.

Raven looks at Octavia, "Stay away from the blue wires that run through the ceiling. I rigged it to the solar cells in the roof." Octavia starts climbing the ladder. Raven talks to her louder, "That means they're hot! You got that?"

"Yeah I got that," Octavia responds.

"I'll go help her," I say, climbing the ladder, myself.

When I walk up Octavia is examining every single wire she can find. When she sees it's me joining her she offers a small grin.

"Hey, sorry for yelling at you earlier. I'm just really stressed out right now."

"Is it about the fight you had with Bellamy last night?" I ask. Octavia narrows her eyes in my direction. "Sorry, I couldn't help but overhear."

"I'm just sick of fighting with someone, whether its you, Bellamy, or the grounders. I just want peace."

"Yeah, I can't argue with you there."

"Hey! They're back!" someone yells from outside.

Octavia and I look at each other before lowering ourselves down the ladder. I go down first, jumping the last couple of steps.

Bellamy is standing in front of two boys who are carrying the grounder that happened to hold us hostage, but also saved Octavia's life. The grounder is unconscious for real this time. The two boys behind Bellamy drop the body to the ground.

"The hell are you doing!" Octavia screams in Bellamy's face.

"Its time to get some answers," Bellamy says.

"Oh you mean, revenge?" She spits.

"I mean, intel," Bellamy glares and turns to the other boys, "Get him upstairs."

Clarke walks over to Bellamy, "Bellamy, she's right."

Bellamy looks down on her, angry. Damn, what did she do to him? The radio statics again, gaining Clarke's attention and a surprise look on Bellamy's face.

"Look, this is not who we are," Clarke says to Bellamy one last time before talking with her mother again.

"Looks like we don't need your leadership expertise after all," I cross my arms over my chest and walk past him.

Bellamy disappears upstairs with his men and the Grounder.

* * *

"The blade is at a sharp upward angle between his sixth and seventh rib," Clarke explains to her mom.

"Okay, how deep?" She asks.

"Well I can't tell how deep it goes," Clarke says nervously.

"That's alright," Abby lets out a breathy sigh, "just don't remove the knife yet."

Raven paces back and forth by Finn's side. I bite my lip and look at Clarke anxiously waiting for her next approach.

"Hey, here," Clarke hands the canister of moonshine to Raven, "sterilize your hands."

Raven takes the moonshine and drinks a very large sip before pouring some on her hands.

"Clarke, do you see any fluid?"

Voices coming from the people who took cover from the storm in the dropship talk louder making it harder for Clarke to hear and communicate with her mother. Her body language told me she was getting frustrated which could risk a major mistake.

"Damn it!" I yell. "Everyone! Upstairs! Now! Let's go!" I wave my hands like a maniac, and the people listen to me, slowly clearing the room.

"He feels a little warm," I hear Clarke say when no one else is around.

Raven rushes towards Finn and holds his cheeks in her hands, brushing strands of hair out of his face.

"That's alright, fever sometimes accompanies a trauma. Clarke, I need you to tell me if there is any fluid leaking from the wound."

"Ah," Clarke examines the wound. "No."

I hear Abby mutter something to the people around her on the Ark, "That's good. That's actually really good. You got lucky."

Raven smiles and looks at Finn, "Hear that? You're lucky."

I glance in Clarke's direction and she looks really uncomfortable. I try and read her mind to find out why and then two and two click together. She's in love with Raven's boyfriend. Holy shit.

"Casady! Casady," Octavia grabs my attention. "You need to come with me, they're hurting him. They're hurting the Grounder."

I nod, following Octavia into the private room that Bellamy was holding the Grounder prisoner, which isn't the smartest move because he probably has Grounder friends looking for him. Idiots.

"Tie him tighter," I hear Bellamy say. "The last thing we need is this bastard getting free because you screwed up."

Octavia and I burst through the floor door and climb through. The Grounder is being tied with chains to the far wall, his body brutally beaten. His eyes can barely stay open, bearing too much pain to stay awake.

"Octavia, get out of here," One of the men say. I really want to raise my hand and say thanks for the concern. But I bite my sarcastic tongue.

"I told you he was protecting me," Octavia steps forward, ignoring the warning, "You didn't have to do this."

Bellamy shakes his head, "This isn't about you. I'm doing this for all of us."

"You did that for all of us?" I ask, disgusted that he thinks he was doing the camp a favor by promoting violence against a non-enemy.

"I did that for Finn and Jasper and Diggs and John and Roma," Bellamy says as a matter of factly.

"It wasn't even him," I indicate towards the Grounder. He was with us the entire time so whoever killed Diggs, John, and Roma was still out there.

"You don't know that!" Bellamy yells at me. "We need to know what we're up against. How many there are and why they're killing us." Bellamy turns to face the Grounder. "And he's going to tell us right now."

"No, Bellamy, please," Octavia cries, pushing forward.

"Miller, get them out of here," Bellamy orders.

"I was there!" Octavia shouts as Miller takes her by the arm. "Hey, get—get off of me! I don't even think he speaks English. He won't understand you."

"Oh, I think he will," Bellamy glares, releasing a knife from under his arm.

Octavia and I give each other these scared looks that say we may be causing more harm than good. And by 'we' we mean our people.

As we're getting ready to leave, the dropship rumbles, shaking slightly. I grab onto Octavia's arm for balance and she does the same to me. My eyes are wide open. Finn.

"What the hell was that?" Bellamy demands. No one answers him. "We under attack or not?"

Miller goes out to check and comes back shaking his head, "Storm damage. We're okay."

"Yeah, for now," I glare.

I release from Octavia's grip and move downstairs to check on Clarke and Finn to see how that shake affected their progress.

"Should he be this pale?" I hear Raven ask. I push through bystanders and no longer see a knife sticking out of Finn's chest. "Warm, too."

"He's lost a lot of blood, Raven, but if your boyfriend's anywhere near as tough as you, I'm sure he'll be fine." Abby says, confirming my suspicions that Clarke's crush is in deed in a relationship.

"Wait, mom, she's right," Clarke stands over Finn. "He's feverish, and his breathing's uneven."

"You need to give him some time to recover," Abby says soothingly. "Let me know if he gets any worse, but I think he might just be out of the woods."

"No pun intended right?" I grin, trying to ease the situation. "Down here, there's nothing but woods."

"Casady?" Abby says my name through the radio and I look at it with furrowed eyebrows. How does she know me? I've never met her outside of Medical. I have never given her the time to have a conversation with me.

"I need a break," Clarke glances at me nervously and stands up. Was she talking about me?

"Clarke? Clarke, wait!" Abby shouts. "Raven, Casady, could you give us a few minutes?"

"No, no," Clarke holds her hand out for us to stop from moving. "Stay with Finn." With that, Clarke walks up the ladder to Bellamy and the Grounder.

Raven moves back to Finn's side and cups his face into her hands.

"So…" I say to break the silence, "You and Finn are…"

"Together," Raven grins, "For years. He's my family."

I nod. I wish I had something like that. "Then, I'm happy you two are reunited."

Finn's body starts to shake, saliva drools out of his mouth, and his eyes roll to the back of his head.

"What's happening?" Raven panics.

"Get him on his side," I demand. I run to the ladder and yell up, "Clarke, he's seizing!"

"Get my mother on the radio now!" Clarke comes so quickly that you would think she has super powers. Raven just continues to stare at her boyfriend's dying, trembling figure. "Raven, now!"

Raven jolts at the sound of her name and darts to the radio. She presses several buttons and then hits it on the side.

"The radio's dead!" She screams. "Interference from the storm!" She sprints back over to Clarke, "Please don't let him die."

"Raven, there is fluid in his lungs," Clarke tells her. "He could choke."

"Fluid in his lungs," Raven's eyes go big when she repeats Clarke's words.

"Does that mean the knife hit something?" I ask Clarke.

She shakes her head, "It's something else," Clarke looks at Finn, confused. Shaking her head it herself she asks, "I did—I did everything she told me." Her eyes go round and her mouth fits into a thin line. "I've seen this before. Shortness of breath, fever, seizing…"

I know exactly where she is going with this. I've read about it in one of the short stories we had to read in my literature class when I was 12. "It's poison."

"Clarke, you sterilized everything," Raven says. "I watched you do it."

"Not everything," Clarke looks at Raven, "Stay here."

"Clarke!" I call after her as she climbs the stairs to latch that blocks us from Bellamy. She pounds her fist against the hatch. "Hey! Open the door!"

"How long does he have?" I say below her.

"I don't know!" She continues to hit.

Miller opens the door and Clarke does not hesitate to break through and pummel her way through to be face to face with the Grounder.

"Get out of my way," I push past Miller and stand next to Clarke.

"What's on this?" Clarke demands an answer from the Grounder, holding up the knife he used to stab Finn.

The Grounder just looks at her through narrowed eyes. The look of hatred in his eyes sends shivers down my spine.

"What are you talking about?" Bellamy asks.

"He poisoned the blade," Clarke says. She turns back to the grounder, "All this time, you knew Finn was gonna die no matter what we did." She pauses. "What is it? Is there an antidote?"

"Clarke, he doesn't understand you," Octavia says.

I notice a black, scratched up leather bag that had been tossed to the side. I walk over to it and pick it up. The Grounder follows me with his head and clenches his jaw. Huh, so, this is probably his.

I open the zipper and hidden in the bag is four small pocket-size bottles. Vials.

"You'd have to be stupid to have a poison around this long without an antidote," I say softly to myself, figuring out that one of these are the cure.

Clarke sees the bag and rips it from my hands. She puts the bag on the floor and hits the ground with the knife indicating to one of the bottles. "Which one?"

The Grounder doesn't say anything.

"Answer the question!" Bellamy bellows. "Show us!"

"Please," Clarke begs, "Which one? Our friend is dying down there and you can stop that."

"I'll get him to talk," Bellamy threatens.

"Bellamy, no," I put my hand to his chest, stopping him from taking another step forward.

"He wants Finn to die!" Bellamy argues. "Why can't you see that? Do you want him to live or not? Clarke, you even said it yourself."

"This is not who we are!" Octavia shouts, "He was protecting me. He saved my life!"

"We're talking about Finn's life," Clarke says. She slowly turns her head to Bellamy and nods, "Do it."

"Just tell us," I approach the Grounder. "They're going to hurt you."

"You're gonna show us the antidote or you're gonna wish you had," Bellamy says. It wasn't only a threat, but it was also a promise. A promise that had me take a step away from him.

"Bellamy, no," Octavia cries. Bellamy starts hitting the Grounder repeatedly, "Please! Oh! Please!"

"Which one's the antidote!" Clarke shouts. The whole upper level of the dropship is complete chaos.

"Just tell them!" I plead. "Clarke!"

"Clarke, he's getting worse!" Raven calls. "We're running out of time!"

"Which one? Which one is it?" Clarke screams. "If you tell us, they'll stop this. Please!"

I look hopelessly at Octavia. She and are I are the only ones who understand that this Grounder is not a threat and that he saves lives. At least he saved Octavia's….and maybe if he knew how much Finn means to Octavia or myself he would help.

Raven charges up the ladder. She is breathing heavily and the fire in her eyes is enough to make the people in the room back away from her.

"If that doesn't work, maybe this will," Raven grabs two electric pipes from the side of the Grounder and touches the two ends together. They spark to life and become hot under her hands. "Clarke, you don't have to be here for this."

Clarke shakes her head, "I'm not leaving until I get that antidote." That's when I knew how deeply in love Clarke was with Finn.

"What are you doing?" Bellamy shouts.

"Showing him something new," Raven shoves the two pipes into the Grounder's chest. The Grounder seizes, grunts, and squeezes his eyes from the electric pain. "He's all I have!" Raven shouts through clenched teeth and crying eyes. She does it again and this time the Grounder opens his mouth to cry out from the stinging pain he is going through.

I look at Octavia, pleading with my eyes, telling her we have to do something. We're the only two who can stop this. She glances at the knife and back at me. I nod at the plan forming in her head.

Octavia nods her head, shouting, "No more!"

"He's letting Finn die!"

I hand Octavia a knife, basically reading her mind. Octavia steps closer to the Grounder, in front of Raven.

"Octavia, no!" Bellamy barks.

"He won't let her die," I look in Bellamy's direction and into his frightened eyes. He is no longer playing the tough-guy, but the concerned big brother. And that big brother is going to blame me for giving Octavia that knife….just you wait.

Octavia takes the knife to her wrist and cuts a horizontal line that instantly draws blood.

"Please, don't let my friend die."

Octavia and the Grounder stare into each other's eyes for moment. Then, the Grounder nods his head to the antidote on the left. Octavia's eyes go big she and nods her head and looks to Clarke to take it.

Clarke rips the bottle from the leather bag and jumps down the hatch back to Finn's side. I quickly grab a cloth and walk to Octavia's hand to clean up the blood and get the antidote.

Bellamy tries to talk to Octavia, but she pushes past him, snapping, "Don't touch me."

Octavia and I walk outside the dropship, away from the drama into our shared tent.

"Casady…" she whispers.

"Damn, O, you cut yourself really deep," I continue to clean her arm, try to manage the bleeding.

"He speaks English," She says softly.

My hand freezes in the middle of her arm. I lift my head to read her eyes to make sure that I heard her correctly.

"What?"

"He said 'thank you'," Octavia tears up. "He understands."

He understands.

 **CLARKE'S POV:**

Finn is finally stabilized. Exhausted, he crashes into a deep sleep in the dropship where Raven is crying tears of gratitude, mumbling how she would have no idea what she would do if he were to die.

Their love makes me sick. And maybe it's jealousy. Actually, it is jealousy. Finn slept with me. He knew there was someone waiting for him up at the Ark, but I didn't. Suddenly, I am the bad guy here.

However, Raven proves to show herself useful to this camp, which means I cannot get on her bad side even if we're both in love with the same guy. I have to push Finn out of my mind and focus on what's important. The world is too busy for me to focus my attention on a relationship.

My mom requests to speak to me through the radio. I can't even bother to hear a word she has to say to me. Not after what I have learned about her, and all the secrets she holds from me.

We talk about Finn, and when she does, she say's a sentence that has my blood run cold, "Your father would be so proud of you."

"Don't talk about him," I snap into the radio.

"Clarke, please, I know something else is wrong," Damn her motherly instincts. "Please, tell me what it is."

"Dad's dead because of you," The words spit out like venom. "You turned him in and I know it. Wells told me everything before he—," I pause, choking up with tears, "He let me believe that he did it, so that I'd hate him instead of you!"

My mother sighs, "Clarke, Clarke, I want you to listen to me. That was never supposed to happen. Jaha was supposed to talk him out of it."

"How am I supposed to trust you now? After all the secrets you kept from me….first Casady and now Dad?"

"Clarke…"

"I'm done talking to you," I say, switching the radio off and jumping backwards into my seat, emotionally exhausted.

* * *

Bellamy climbs down the dropship ladder, as I am about to leave the dropship and pass out in my tent. But his eyes capture mine.

"Can I speak with you outside?" He asks me.

I can only imagine what this has to be about. I don't really have any patience with any of his bullshit at the moment, but I nod my head.

He leads me outside of the dropship and to the side, after he scouts that no one is around us eavesdropping.

"I want to talk to you about Casady," Bellamy's strict upright position and down casting stare has me shuffling on my feet. "Is there anything I should know about you two?"

I—," I cough, clearing my throat as the nerves take over my vocal cords at the sound of Casady's name. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Really? So would it be completely wrong of me to assume that you two are related biologically in any way?"

"Why would you think that?" I ask. My eyes involuntarily go big at the thought that my secret is out and people are talking about it inside this camp.

"Because," Bellamy's gaze becomes softer, enough for me to be able to breathe normally again. "Because you look at her the way I look at Octavia. You worry about her the same way I worry about Octavia. I notice your panic at the sound of Casady's name."

"Bellamy…" I sigh.

"And maybe no one else noticed because no one else can relate…but I can. So please, I'm begging you to tell me the truth."

"Why do you care?"

Bellamy licks his lips, "I need to know if she has someone looking over her as strictly as I look over my little sister." I narrow my eyes, trying to understand where all of this is coming from. Why does he care so much about Casady? "She's…" he chuckles, "She's reckless and stubborn and filled with so much sass that one of these days she going to get killed for it. She needs someone to protect her."

I raise my head in acknowledgement. His voice is sweetened with admiration… he has a hint of a smile on his face. "You like her."

Bellamy ignores me and shuffles on his feet, "So are you…are you her sister?"

If anyone can understand me, it can be Bellamy. He is the only one who can relate to having a little sister to look after and the stress it can cause someone.

"She doesn't know…" I tell him. Bellamy breathes out a huge sigh of relief for knowing she was in safe hands. But is she? "I didn't even know until the day we were sent to Earth. My mom told me in a stupid note…" I turn away to think. "I don't even know her that well…I'm her sister…I should know her favorite color and—and her worst fear…" I turn back around to Bellamy. "She cares more for your sister than she does her own." I take a deep breath, "So if you're wondering if I can protect her…then yes I'm going to try my best to make sure she lives through hell on earth. But that might not be enough."

 **CASADY'S POV:**

My eyes are casted to the ground. My back is rested against the side of the dropship. And my mind jumbles with the word "sister" until I throw up everything I had eaten that day.


	8. Day Trip

**A/N: Hey guys. For those still reading, thank you for waiting. College has been kicking my ass. Anyway! This is one of my favorites chapters of this series, so I hope you like it too!  
Disclaimer: I do not own anything but Casady  
Episode: Day Trip**

"Casady," Octavia presses a wet cloth against my forehead as I lay my head on her lap. She hands me a few berries that Jasper and Monty picked out this morning. I stare into the ceiling of the tent as my mind jumbles with so many thoughts that I don't think of anything at all. "Casady," she says again. She sighs when I don't say anything. "You should talk to your dad later. Monty was able to set up a web cam for us to talk to the people on the Ark. Kids are reconnecting with their parents…you should do the same."

"No, I can't talk to him," I say. My voice is scratchy from keeping it closed for so long. "I…can't."

Octavia drops the wet cloth to the side and moves some stray hairs out of my face. "What's wrong? Please tell me so I can help you."

I close my eyes, "You should check on the Grounder…make sure they haven't killed him yet."

Octavia sighs and moves out from under me, "Okay, but sooner or later you are going to tell me when you're ready."

Octavia leaves and I roll over on my stomach, taking the blanket, lifting it over my head to hide myself from the rest of the world.

* * *

 **BELLAMY'S POV:**

When I look at the Grounder I feel a mixture of hatred and gratitude. I hate him because he took Octavia and Casady away…giving this camp near heart attacks…or maybe that's just me. But then the hatred fades away when I hear Octavia tell me that he saved her life. And I want to thank him for that, but I have too much pride.

I remove myself from the top floor of the dropship and climb down the ladder, having enough of staring into the Grounder's eyes and getting nothing out of him. I need a walk.

When I land on the ground, I come face to face with Octavia. Her arms are crossed and her lips are pressed into a thin line as some thought crosses her mind.

"You're still here?" I say.

"I'm not moving until you let me up there to see him," Octavia stands her ground and glances to the hatch above us.

I nod my head, "Get comfortable." She is annoyed with my answer. I take a deep breath, "I let him live. Isn't that enough?"

"He saved my life and yours," Octavia points out.

"I know you see it that way, but…"

"That's the way it is," She states.

"He's still dangerous," I argue.

"Only because of what you did."

"Whatever twisted connection you think you have with that animal, forget it. You don't get to see him. End of conversation."

I turn to leave, but stop when I hear Octavia continue.

"Why do you even care if I ruined your life? You should want me to go up there. Maybe you'll get lucky and he'll kill me, problem solved."

I turn around, "Octavia, you know I didn't mean that."

I don't let it show, but it pains me to hear her think that I would actually want her dead. After all that I have done to protect her, she thinks my life would be better if she were to be killed off. And that is so far from the truth.

"Bellamy," Clarke walks in, not realizing the fight Octavia and I were having.

I turn back around to the exit of the dropship, "The answer is still no," I tell Clarke, "I'm not talking to Jaha."

"Hey, relax," Clarke puts a hand on my chest, stopping me from walking past her. I glance at her hand and then into her eyes. "That's not why I'm here."

"What then?"

"The Ark found some old records that show a supply depot not too far from here."

"What kind of supplies?" I ask, now intrigued.

"The kind that might give us a chance to live through winter. I should stay here with Finn, make sure nothing happens while I'm gone. I was thinking maybe you could go and take Casady with you?"

"Why Casady?" Octavia asks.

I glance her way and then back to Clarke to see how she was going to answer this. I couldn't let anyone know about my feelings towards Casady. It would only be used against me…against her. Harm her. Plus, she barely knows me…Casady would probably find my crush on her creepy if she were to ever find out.

"Because I trust Casady to come back with the supplies we need," Clarke answers, indirectly calling me out.

I open my mouth but Octavia speaks before me.

"Well good luck getting her to move," She says, "She won't leave our tent."

"Why?" Clarke and I ask at the same time.

Octavia glances at the two of us and we try to blow off our concern by shuffling on our feet and avoiding eye contact with Octavia.

Octavia shrugs, her eyes still narrowed in suspicion, "She won't tell me. She's been sick and depressed all day."

I look back to Clarke and nod, assuring her that I'll get Casady to talk, "We'll leave in ten."

Clarke nods her head and I leave the dropship with one last glare at Octavia.

I search for Octavia and Casady's tent before I go to my own. When I find it I call out Casady's name. No one answers me so I let myself inside.

Casady is lying on her side, curled into a tight ball underneath a blanket. Her back is to me, so I can't tell if she is asleep or not.

I quietly tiptoe into her tent and shut the flap behind me. I hope anyone watching me outside doesn't think I'm some kind of pedophile.

"Casady," I whisper.

"Go away," her raspy voice mumbles.

"I need you to come with me for a supply run…Clarke said the Ark told her about some depot-"

"I'm not going," She cuts me off. I sigh and move to step over her. Her eyes follow me as I sit down cross-legged next to her. "What are you doing?"

I shrug, "If you're not going, then I'm not going."

"Don't be stupid, Bellamy," She sniffles. "I'm—I'm sick. I'll only hold you back. Take Clarke or something…you two are so close anyway."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

She pauses, looking right through me and rolls her eyes. "Nothing. Just go."

"Come with me," I say. "I could use your help."

She narrows her eyes at me, challenging me to leave her alone. I shrug my shoulders acting like I'm going to leave. But then I rip her blanket off of her. She moves to scream at my but I pick her up and throw her over my shoulder.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" She yells, pressing her hands on my back to arch her back.

"I'm the leader of this camp and I said you're coming with me," I say to her. "And if I have to pick a fight with you, then so be it."

"This is stupid," She gives up the fight and slumps down.

I sigh in contentment and drag her out of the camp with me.

* * *

 **CASADY'S POV:**

Not that I am too thrilled to be in the middle of the woods, open for Grounder's to kill, with Bellamy Blake, but I am grateful to be no where near Clarke…my apparent sister that I never knew I had.

Now more questions that are left unanswered jumble my brain that it makes it hard for me to focus on the task at hand. Questions like: Who are my real parents? Who is older, me or Clarke? How did our parents get away with it? Why hasn't Clarke told me yet?

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong? Or are you going to be silent this entire journey?" Bellamy smirks next to me.

I frown. How did he know that Clarke was holding one of the biggest secrets that could change my life? Because he knew what it was like to have a sister? Clarke hasn't done anything to show me that she loves me. She is a friend. And that's all. This all cannot be right.

"Silent it is then…" Bellamy whistles, clapping his hands together. "Come on, Cass."

"No," I turn to him, stopping him from his tracks. "You do not get to call me Cass."

"Okay, hold up," He grabs my wrist when I turn around to walk again. I sigh and scowl. "What did I do to you to make you hate me?"

"I could name a few things…"

"Recently, Casady. I mean recently. You and I were getting along just fine. You told me about your mom—"

"The next day you called me out on it, saying there was more than one murderer in camp when I found Wells's fingers."

Bellamy rolled his eyes and continued, "I saved your life from the Grounder…"

"I was in no immediate danger," I counterclaim.

"C'mon—"

"We each have our own problems we're trying to avoid," I tell him. Bellamy gives me a look that challenges me to say his problem out loud. "You know, the first dropship is gonna come down soon. Pretty sure you can't avoid Jaha forever."

Bellamy bites his lips and continues the voyage to the depot, "I can try. Is your dad going to be on it? Is that what's bothering you? Are you worried? I'm sure he'll get here safely."

"My…" I bite down on the word _dad_ as I think about the lies and if he really is truly my father, and honestly if he was not my dad, I would feel blessed. " _dad_ could be dead right now and I couldn't care less."

"Ouch," Bellamy says sarcastically. "Wanna talk about it?"

"Does it look like I want to talk about it?" I glare.

"Okay…" He looks away, "The depot is supposed to be around here somewhere. There's got to be a door."

"We should split up, cover more ground," I advise. Bellamy looks at me like I am crazy. "Stay within shouting distance."

"You're out of your mind if you think you're leaving my sight," He says.

I roll my eyes, "Why, did Clarke tell you be my own personal stalker now?"

Bellamy stops and turns my way abruptly, and I almost walk into his chest. "You know, don't you." It's not a question, it's a statement.

"I overheard you and Clarke talking last night."

"Clarke wouldn't have wanted you to find out like this."

"Did she want me to find out at all? I mean come on, Bellamy. We have been down here for weeks and not once has she mentioned it to me. A sister! I have a damn sister. That's—that's nuts!"

Bellamy chuckles, "Yeah, yeah it is. But although sisters are the biggest pains in the asses, they're good to have around because good or bad, you know somebody will always have your back." He pauses, "Clarke cares about you a lot, you know, and she was going to tell you, but … I mean, she only found out about you the minute before she stepped onto the dropship. The news was probably scary for her too."

"I'm just so mad…how could my parents keep a secret like that from me for 17 years? Actually, I don't even know who my real parents are!"

"Your parents are who you were raised by. Anyone could be a mother or a father, but only the people who take care of you all your life and teach you how to grow into a decent human being are your true parents."

"That's some deep shit," I mutter.

"Shut up," He says playfully with a grin forming on his face.

"Hey," I say, noticing the sound metallic sound of my boot hitting something beneath me. Hidden under leaves and sticks is a silver door latched shut that leads underground.

"Here, watch your foot," Bellamy says, pushing me aside and trying to open it.

"I think it's rusted shut," I tell him.

"Give me a hand," He requests.

I roll my eyes and lean down to help him. I wrap my hand around the handle next to his. Our hands touch as we pull together. On the count of three we lift with all of our strength and the door finally releases.

Bellamy glances in the dark hole and says, "Ladies, first." I scoff at the ignorance and cross my arms over my chest and stay put. "Fine, I'll die first."

"That's what I thought," I say behind him as he lowers himself down on the ladder.

I follow behind when I don't hear a scream of panic come from him. I jump the last couple of steps and spin around. When I do, I come face to face with a skeleton wearing ragged dirty clothing. I almost squeal, jumping a step backwards out of terror.

"Hell of a place to die," Bellamy comments.

"So much for living down here," I move around the corpse and glance at the dusty room, "This place is disgusting."

Bellamy picks something up but it dissolves into ash from the pressure, "Dammit," He groans. "anything left down here is ruined."

"They must have distributed most of the supplies before the last bombs went off," I say. Noticing something in the corner, I walk towards it and find a stack of blankets. "Hey, I found blankets."

"Excited about blankets?" Bellamy raises an eyebrow my way.

I shrug, "Well, its something."

"How about a canteen or a med kid or a decent freaking tent!" Bellamy finds a trunk at the end of the room. He takes his knife from his belt and undoes the lock and lifting the top with a grunt. "Holy shit."

I walk over to him, suddenly intrigued by his finding. "Whoa," I say when I see all the guns hidden in the trunk. There must have been 15 in here. Imagine how many more we could find if we just kept looking.

"This changes everything," Bellamy says. "No more running from spears…" Bellamy hands me a gun, "Here, try it out."

"Clarke's not going to like this…" I mumble, checking the gun out myself.

"We're lucky the rifles were packed in grease. The fact that they survived means we're not sitting ducks anymore. You need to learn how to do this."

"I know how to use a gun," I say braggingly, when the truth of the matter is, I have never used one before. But my dad has one, and I've seen him use it once on duty. It gave me nightmares for weeks.

"Okay," Bellamy nods, playing along. He sets a tin cup on top of the trunk and tells me to step back. "Fire at the target."

"Excuse me?" I raise my eyebrow.

"You said you know how to use one…which means your aim must be good. So, hit the target, _Cass._ "

I glare his way but lift the heavy gun up to my eye and steady it on my forearm. The idea of holding a gun is so foreign to me but I actually like it. I squint my eyes and fire, the bullet going nowhere near the tin cup.

Bellamy laughs at my shot and comes closer to me, "Here, let me help you."

Bellamy gets really close and instructs me on how to position it. It turns out the gun should be on my shoulder. His arms wrap around my shoulders to make sure the gun is in correct position. We're so close that my back is pressed against his chest and his voice is right next to my ear; I have to hold back the shivers his deep tone sends down my spine.

"Yeah, just a little higher," he says. I look over my shoulder at him and when I do, our lips almost meet from the little space between us. We stare at each other for a moment before he becomes too flustered and takes a step backwards. "That's good…uh…," I bite my lips and take note of his blushing cheeks. He picks up his own gun and says, "Watch and learn."

Bellamy raises his gun and aims directly at the tin cup. His finger rests over the trigger before pulling on it. His gun clicks quietly, firing no bullets.

"Still watching," I say from the side.

"My bullets are duds," He shakes his head. "Try yours."

I put my gun down and say, "We shouldn't waste the ammunition."

"You need to practice," He says.

"No. We need to talk about how we're gonna keep guns around camp, where are we gonna keep them, and who has access. Who'd you leave in charge of the Grounder? Miller? You must trust him."

Bellamy nods and points, "You should keep him close. The others listen to him."

My eyebrows furrow in confusion, "I should keep him close? Bellamy, what's going on? I noticed your bag filled with rations, you're being extra nice to me…" Realization crosses over my face and his falls, knowing he is caught. "You're gonna run. That's why you came out here? You were gonna load up on supplies and just disappear. We're you just going to leave me in the woods to die?"

"Of course not," Bellamy says. "But I don't have a choice. The Ark will be here soon."

"What about your sister?" I think of how hurt my best friend is going to be. "You're just going to leave Octavia?"

"Octavia hates me. She'll be fine." He points to himself, "I shot the Chancellor. They're gonna kill me, Cass. Best-case scenario, they lock me up with the Grounder for the rest of my life, and there's no way in hell I'm giving Jaha the satisfaction." He takes a deep breath with his hands on his hips. "Keep practicing. I need some air."

I sigh as Bellamy leaves the depot and into the fresh air as he drowns himself in self-pity. I eye the weapon in my hands, delicately running my fingers over the cold metal.

"It's scary, isn't it?"

I whip my head behind me, raising the gun to my eye, aiming at the female voice from behind me. I peak through the eyeglass of the gun and slowly lower the weapon when I spot my target.

"Mom?"

My mother, dressed in the same clothing she wore before she died is standing before me. My breath catches as I take her in. She looks the same. Beautiful and approachable. Her brunette hair is curled into a pony tail, and her dimples are prominent as she grins at me.

I am too shocked to speak…to move. There isn't even a drop of blood on her clothing, as if she was never hurt.

"It's okay, honey."

"Mom," A tear slips from my eye. She walks over and grabs my hand. I can feel her touch; it sends goose bumps to rise through my skin.

"We don't have much time," She tells me.

"You're not real…are you?" I take a step backwards from this entity that portrays the face of my mother.

She spares me a sorrowful stare, "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I wish I were."

"How is this possible? Why is this happening?" I turn away, racking my hands through my hair as I start going crazy.

"Think about it…why would you want me here?"

I turn around, taking a deep breath, searching her eyes for an answer to her question. Why would I want her here? For her to tell me who her killer is? Or for her to give me insight as to who my real parents are?

"You're not my mother," I shake my head. "So who are you to me?"

My mother, or the hallucination of my mother, sighs, "We don't need to have the same DNA to be family, Casady. I am your mother, and I am your only mother. Just because I didn't physically give birth to you doesn't make me love you any less."

"Clarke lied to me about you, about us!"

"She was never lying to you, Cass. She just found out too…she just never knew when the right time to tell you was." She takes a step closer to me, "I never told you because I didn't want you to hide that secret from the Council all of your life; to feel paranoid if you were randomly approached. Clarke loves you very much. She has already taken the overly protective sister role. She's doing it because your sisters—your family. Contrary to what the Ark believes, you're lucky to have her. Especially now while you're on Earth."

"Its so hard to believe… you know…" I mumble off into my own mind as I think of Clarke and how she carried that secret for weeks now.

"Well believe it you crazy bitch," My mother says.

My head snaps back to her. Her eyes don't show the same softness they did before. This time there is a certain fire in them, a devilish glare.

"Mom?" I call out to her but I know she is no longer there. What is happening right now? She stares towards the exit that Bellamy had gone through a while ago.

I narrow my eyes and run for the exit with a gun, sensing something very bad.

When I walk outside, I see Bellamy on the ground hunched over on his knees, covering his ears, sweating up a storm. In front of him is Dax, holding a gun to Bellamy's head.

"Do you think you deserve to be free of your pain?" Dax taunts Bellamy. He hasn't seen me yet. I hide behind a nearby tree and check to make sure my gun is loaded. I am still woozy, and don't know if what I'm seeing is actually real. "Do you deserve that gift? Cause you're going to get it." I watch him cock his gun, "Nothing personal."

I step out from behind the tree and aim the gun at Dax who freezes under another weapon. "Put it down, Dax."

"Should've stayed down there, Casady," Dax says to me. "I tried not to kill you, but here you are, and Shumway said no witnesses."

Bellamy is now looking up, glancing between me and Dax.

"What is he talking about?" I ask Bellamy without taking my eyes off of Dax.

"Shumway set it up," Bellamy says. "He gave me the gun to shoot the chancellor."

"Walk away now and I wont kill you," Dax promises.

"Put it down," I stand my ground and put my life at risk to save Bellamy's. Man what has this friendship come to?

"Your choice," Dax redirects his gun at me and clicks the safety off.

"No!" Bellamy shouts, diving forward grabbing Dax by the waist and taking him down. The gunshot fires into the air, missing me.

Bellamy beats Dax unconscious and falls backwards, emotionally exhausted.

I sprint towards him and kneel right in front of him. I cup his face in the palm of my hands softly. He is panting heavily with sweat dripping down his face. I wipe some of it away and bring him into a hug.

"You're okay," I let him cry into my shoulder. I do this so he knows he can trust me to care for him. He's been bottling everything up to show he isn't weak, but it is only making him more emotionally weak.

"No, I'm not," Bellamy stuffs his head into my shoulder. "My mother…if she knew what I've done, who I am…she raised me to be better, to be good."

"Bellamy…" I pull away to look into his heartbroken eyes, and it cracks my heart in two to see him in so much pain. Unbearable pain.

"And all I do is hurt people," He sniffles, "I'm a monster."

"Hey," I cup his face again and move my forehead against his. I feel his breath on my lips, our nose lightly touching. We've never been this close, but it doesn't feel foreign…like we've been in this position before. It feels natural. "You saved my life today," I tell him. "You may be a total ass half of the time, but I need you. We all need you. None of us wouldn't survive this place if it wasn't for you." I drop my hands to his and squeeze them tight, "You want forgiveness? Fine, I'll give it to you. You're forgiven, okay, but you can't run Bellamy. You have to come back with me. You have to face it."

"Like you faced your sister?" Bellamy snaps slightly. But I don't let it get to me because of all the stress he is under.

"You're right," I say. "I don't want to face Clarke right now. I don't want to face any of it. All I think about every day is how we're going to keep everybody alive, but we don't have a choice."

Bellamy sniffles again, "Jaha will kill me when he comes down."

"We'll figure something out."

"Can we figure it out later?" He asks

I nod, "Whenever you're ready."

We pause to take a moment for ourselves but we don't leave each other's touch. I close my eyes as I take in this one moment of peace and take in the beauty of Bellamy finally revealing to me how he is feeling. Never would I have known what a relief that would feel to me.

Bellamy's hands move away from mine and slowly move to place a stray hair of mine behind my ear. I bite my lip, so calm with this intimacy, so satisfied with this natural feeling that sends butterflies into my stomach.

I move my head slowly towards his until our lips touch. As cliché as it is, sparks electrify through every nerve of my body. His lips are soft, slow, as he takes his time exploring the idea of being so close to me. And I do the same, feeling as if I need to feel every part of his mouth.

His lips move more passionately as he takes his one hand and pushes my head closer by the back of my neck. Are lips move in sync with each other, eyes closed in the pleasure of finding the connection that was lost all this time.

When we pull away, we're quietly panting. I feel the blush creep on my cheeks, and I find it impossible to hide the grin that grows wider by the second. Bellamy is the same way…I've never seen him so giddy.

He pulls me in for another kiss.

* * *

When we walk back to camp with the guns, we walk closer to each other than we did before. One shoulder always brushed the other's, our smiles were infectious with each other, and our talking never subsided.

As we arrive, the camp is filled with chaos of people screaming. Panic rises through me, the happy feeling no longer there, as I think of what could have happened now.

"He's gone. The Grounder's gone," Miller sprints our way to explain the situation to Bellamy.

"What if he brings the other Grounders back?" Someone shouts, grabbing the other's attention. "He'll kill us all…or worse."

 _'_ _What could be worst than dying?'_ I think to myself. ' _Not dying?_ '

"Let the Grounders come!" Bellamy announces to the panic-stricken crowd. His vulnerable state is taken over by his power over the people and his leadership skills, "We've been afraid of them for far too long, and why? Because of their knives and spears?" Now I know where he is going with this. "I don't know about you, but I'm tired of being afraid."

Bellamy shows off the guns. When he does, the crowd does not hide their excitement over the new sense of security.

I feel like I have to say something about the guns. I look at Bellamy for permission to speak…something I have never done before. He looks down at me and nods his head, reading my mind. "These weapons are not toys, and we have to be prepared to give them up to the guard when the dropship comes, but until then they're gonna help keep us safe."

"And there are plenty more where these came from," Bellamy says. "Tomorrow we start training, and if the Grounders come, we're gonna be ready to fight."

Later, Bellamy drifts off to find his sister and I figure I should do the same. Sister. I let the word sink into my brain before walking off to find Clarke.

I find her sitting alone at a camp fire, staring into space. I sit next to her and narrow my eyes at the fire, getting lost into the orange glow that gives us light.

"Thank you for protecting me and loving me like you knew me you're entire life," I tell her. Clarke turns her head to watch me speak. "I've only ever loved my mom, then Octavia…so I might not be as easy going with this new change…but I care about you," I take a deep breath and look at her for the first time since I've come to terms with this new life style of having a sister. "A lot. And I am going to look after you."

I pause as I watch Clarke's reaction. My breathing quickens when she doesn't react. But then, after a second she lets out a breath I didn't even know she was holding and tears flood her eyes and fall down her cheek.

She hugs me tight and I hug her just as tightly, never knowing the feeling of wanting to be so close to someone on an emotional level. We cry into each other's shoulders…while laughing. We must be delirious but it feels good.

* * *

My name is called next to speak virtually to my loved ones back on the Arch. I take a deep breath and go to find Bellamy.

"Bellamy," I say as he speaks to Octavia, "It's time."

He nods to me and follows me into the tent. Octavia gives me a look that I cannot read, but I don't have time to dwell on it.

Chancellor Jaha greets us first just like he has with every other delinquent in this camp. My jaw clenches at the sight of him on a tiny screen, but I take a deep breath and have a seat next to Bellamy.

"Mr. Blake," Jaha greets, "I've wanted to talk to you for some time now."

"Before you do, I'd like to say something," I say. Jaha's attention diverts to me and I take another breath to calm my nerves. "When you sent us down here…you sent us to die. But miraculously, most of us are still alive." I discreetly grab Bellamy's hand so that Jaha doesn't notice, but it is enough to give Bellamy the confidence he needs to talk to Jaha. "In large part, that is because of him, because of Bellamy. He's one of us, and he deserves to be pardoned of his crimes just like the rest of us."

"Casady, I appreciate your point of view, but it's not that simple." Jaha says.

"It is if you want to know who on the Ark wants you dead," I lean forward and raise my eyebrow.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I see Bellamy glance my way as he was not expecting me to challenge the Chancellor to an ultimatum.

Jaha takes a deep breath and nods his head in agreement, "Bellamy Blake, you're pardoned for your crimes. Now tell me who gave you the gun."

"Shumway," Bellamy says.

Chancellor Jaha nods his head, ready to leave this conversation and float another man.

"Casady, I assume you would like to talk to your father."

"No, sir," I tell him. "I'd rather not." I stand up, Bellamy giving me a questioning look. "Goodnight, Chancellor."

We walk out of the dropship together, a relief lifted off both of our shoulders. Who knew I would feel this concerned about Bellamy's fate? "See, I told you I would help you." I say.

"Why didn't you want to talk to your father?" Bellamy asks, genuinely curious.

I shrug, "I don't have anything to say to him. We never got along."

Bellamy nods his head, getting the hint that I didn't want to talk about it and smiled, changing the subject, "Well then…wanna come back to my tent?"

I giggle, looking down on the ground. When I look up, he wears that shit-eating grin he had when we kissed in the woods. "Goodnight, Bellamy." I give him one last glance over my shoulder and head to my own tent.

This time, I fall asleep without worrying about any nightmares to haunt me during the night.


	9. Unity Day

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait. Please please don't hate me.  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the 100 characters**  
 **Episode: Unity Day**

* * *

Unity Day. The day the people of the Ark come together to celebrate our existence. We celebrate the intelligence of our ancestors for thinking of the idea to make the 12 stations in the middle of outer space survivable.

Outside, kids surround the video monitor that connects to the Ark. In space, Chancellor Jaha stands in the middle of one of the rooms, giving a speech to the citizens of the Ark.

"Hey," Octavia walks into the tent that we share. Her hair is extremely knotty, bags decorate the bottom of her eyes and her cheeks are flushed.

"Hey," I grin. She closes the flap behind her and walks further into the tent. She sits next to me on my unmade handmade bed. "You look like shit."

"Yeah," She agrees. She moves her hair behind her ear, "Actually there's something I want to talk to you about."

"Yeah, me too," I say. "But you go first."

Octavia looks behind her, over her shoulder suspiciously. I quirk an eyebrow at her wary attitude. She huffs out a breath and says, "I let Lincoln go."

"Whose Lincoln?"

"The Grounder," Octavia says. I sit straighter in my seat, my interest rate increasing dramatically. "He told me his name. People at this camp were hallucinating…everyone. It was complete chaos and I took advantage of it. You were with Bellamy getting the guns. The opportunity was there and I took it." Octavia takes a deep breath as If a huge weight was just lifted off of her shoulder. "No one knows it was me. They think he got loose."

"Do you think you did the right thing?" I ask.

She looks at me, hesitating to answer. "I think so. Do you?"

I hesitate to answer too. If Lincoln is the man Octavia and I think he is then maybe he won't tell the rest of his clan to come back to the dropship and kill us all. If Lincoln is the guy we think he is, then he'll protect us. "I think so too."

"Good," She sighs. She grips her hand around mine and gives me an encouraging squeeze. "So, what did you have to tell me?"

"I kissed your brother," I say abruptly. Her eyes shoot wide so fast. "Or maybe he kissed me…either way we kissed. We kissed and I liked it. I like your ass of a brother. A lot…and I didn't think I would ever feel this way, especially with Bellamy." Octavia's reaction doesn't change a bit. "I like your brother."

"You—you like Bell…You like my brother?" She looks at me incredulously.

"Yeah," I bite my lip nervously. I mean, what if she doesn't approve? And then what? I can't just ignore her view on this.

She nods her head, soaking this new information into her mind. "Well does he at least like you back?"

Bellamy and I haven't kissed since that one time. But when we're around each other, we stand closer to each other, smile more often, and he never fails to send me a flirtatious wink or a perverted comment about having sex. If he doesn't like me, he has a weird way of showing it.

"I hope," I answer truthfully.

"Okay," Octavia nods. "I mean it's going to be weird seeing you two together—"

"We're not together-together." I point out.

"Yeah but I'll know that you want to be which is just as weird," She says. "But I'm okay with it as long as you don't hurt each other. But if you hurt him, I'll kick your ass, and vice versa."

I let out a relieved laugh. "Okay."

She turns away to leave but I stand up saying my other news, "Wait, there's one more thing. Something even bigger than that."

She turns around with a giggle, "Bigger than you shacking up with my brother?" I nod my head nervously. "Oh my god, you're not pregnant are you?"

"What? No! I've never even slept with your brother."

"Thank god," She puts a hand over her heart. "Then what is it?"

"Clarke's my sister," I say. I watch Octavia's reaction and if I could see the inside of her body, I would have seen her heart fall into the pit of her stomach. I quickly explain myself. "I just found out. Clarke's mom, possibly my mom, told her before sending her on the dropship. She kept it from me until a couple of days ago. I didn't tell you sooner cause I'm just coming to terms with it."

Octavia steps closer to me and searches my eyes for any hint of a joke behind this, but when she doesn't see anything but honesty, she breathes out a big sigh. "Oh my god," She says. "Clarke? And you?"

"Yeah," I say, still finding it weird to say out loud.

"Holy shit," She mumbles. "How are you not going crazy?"

"I already did! Trust me."

"Are you okay? I mean, are you okay with that? A sister…that's..that's-"

"Crazy?" I finish her sentence. She nods her head. "I know."

"Looks like we both have sibling issues now."

I smirk, "Just another thing to add to our list of why we're best friends."

She smiles, "You're right."

"Hey," Finn walks into the tent with a cup of Monty's moonshine in his hand. "You should come outside and socialize. It's good for you," He says sarcastically.

I walk towards him and push him out of the tent playfully, following behind him into the outside world.

People are gathered in an open circle, drinking in celebration of the holiday. In the middle of the circle is the video monitor with Jaha's face on it, speaking to the citizens of the Ark.

"My friends, this is a historic Unity Day. Every year, we mark the moment our ancestors of the twelve stations joined to form the Ark, but this is the last time we do so while aboard her. Next year, on the ground."

"Right," Miller scoffs. "After we did all the work."

"Someone shut him up!" Someone yells. I snort, grabbing myself a cup of moonshine.

"You shut up, Miller," Raven smiles. "No one's forcing you to watch."

"For ninety-seven years, we have eked out an existence, hoping that someday our descendants would return to Earth." Jaha says.

Finn scoffs next to me. Next to Finn is Clarke. Now every time I see her, I can't help but overanalyze her features to see what genetic features we share. Apparently a lot that I have never noticed before.

"Don't tell me you don't like Unity Day," Clarke looks at him.

"Unity Day is a lie. The Ark only came together after the thirteenth station was blown out of the sky. Just not the version of history we like to tell each other at parties."

"The Unity Day story gives people hope, though, and peace came out of that violence."

Jasper cheers in the distance at the new batch of moonshine Monty had just whipped up. I swear, those two together are contagiously happy.

"To our sons and daughters on Earth listening to this message, we will see you soon. The first Exodus ship will launch in under sixty hours, carrying you the reinforcements that you need, so stay strong. Help is on the way.

I scoff. When the adults of the Ark reach Earth, the rest of us are just going to be their guinea pigs, under their every eye all the time. We only have sixty hours of freedom left.

"I'm going to go find Bellamy," I tell Octavia with a smile and leave the rest of the people to finish watching Jaha's talk.

I find Bellamy alone, watching the monitor by one the tents drinking his own cup of moonshine. When he sees me, he smiles and lowers his cup.

"Hey," I say. I don't know what else to say. I didn't have anything to say to him, I just wanted to stand next to him. I never knew I would feel like this so soon. It's weird; a good weird. I like it.

"Hey," He says back. He licks his lips and looks down at his shoes. "Enjoying Unity Day?" He asks.

"So far so good," I bite my lip. "So…"

"So…" He repeats.

"This might sound a little forward, but what exactly are we? Like, are we together-together? Are we exclusive or can we make out with anybody we want anytime we want?" Bellamy raises his eyebrows, amused. My cheeks heat up and I'm quick to defend myself. "I'm asking because when I'm a few drinks in, there is no prediction of what I'm going to do."

Bellamy's smile widens even more and he takes another sip of his alcohol. "Okay, well let me ask you this." I stand up straighter, nervous for his question. "Would you be mad if you caught me kissing another girl today, taking her to my tent and—"

"Yes," I hold my hand up for him to stop. He smirks. "Yeah I wouldn't like that at all. But if we're not exclusive then I'm not allowed to yell at you. I'll just silently hate you and not talk to you for a very long time."

Bellamy laughs and holds my free hand softly, "I know I would be besides myself if I saw another guy touching you…because in my head, you're mine."

"I'm yours?" I ask.

"If you want to be," Bellamy nods.

My heart skips a beat, unaware of this new bubbly feeling rising in my stomach; this giddy feeling that makes me want to jump up and down like a five year old girl.

I nod my head, saying yes.

"Good."

"So does that make you my boyfriend?"

"I guess it does," He smiles.

We pause to stare at each other. He is no longer Bellamy the asshole leader of the group. He is now Bellamy, the asshole leader of group that so happens to be my boyfriend.

He leans down to place a soft kiss on my lips that turns into more of a desperate kiss. I lean into him, letting him support my body weight with his one had as the other holds on to his cup of moonshine.

An interrupting cough is what pulls us apart. We step out of each other's grasp and face forward to Clarke who looks at me longer than Bellamy, but then focuses her attention to Bellamy.

"Hey. The comms are still dead. They cut out during the pageant," She says.

"Best Unity Day ever," Bellamy says, wrapping one arm around my waist and looking up towards the sky, thinking of the freedom we have away from the adults.

"Do you really think now is a good time to be having a party? I mean the Grounder is out there."

I shuffle awkwardly on my feet when the Grounder is brought up in conversation, not liking the fact that I have to hide Octavia's secret from my sister, and my-now boyfriend. I hide my guilty face by staring at my shoes.

"Grounders," Bellamy says, coming back to reality. "By now, he's made it home. He's probably putting together a lynch mob." Clarke opens her mouth, "Relax. I got security covered. Why don't you go get a drink? You look like you could use one."

Clarke admits, "I could use more than one."

"Then have more than one." Bellamy says. "Clarke, the Exodus ship carrying your mother and Casady's father comes down here in two days. After that, the party's over. Have some fun while you still can. You deserve it."

"Wait, what?" I pull away from Bellamy and look at him with wide eyes. "My father is coming down on the Exodus ship?" Clarke and Bellamy furrow their eyebrows. "How come no one told me?"

"I thought you knew," Bellamy says. Clarke nods her head in agreement.

"My dad's coming in two days?" I say, but mostly to myself. I search my mind for any kind of released emotion of hope or happiness, but I can only find dread and anxiety.

"Cass…" Clarke says, questioningly.

"I'm going to need another drink," I take a step away. "Excuse me."

I drown myself in self-pity and alcohol for the next hour, alone, refusing to join in any of the drinking games, gossipy conversations, or celebration.

I sit by the fire, imagining what my life would be like if I lived with Clarke and her parents all of my life. Would I have to hide myself in the floor like Octavia? Or would I be allowed to live a life of freedom because of the positions Abby and Jake hold? Privileged.

Someone sits next to me, but I don't turn to see who it is. I'd rather spend the rest of my night in silence.

"Now that I am your boyfriend," A deep voice leans closer to me. I turn my head to eye Bellamy. "Are you going to tell me about the problems you have with your father?"

I take a deep breath. Although, his words, ' _Now that I am your boyfriend'_ makes me feel a little happier, I still have the deep ache in my chest at the thought of being face to face with my dad after so many years.

"My dad never liked me," My voice is groggy from not speaking for a while. "I never understood why. But he was always so mean to me, and on his bad days he would beat me…not too terribly so that my mom wouldn't notice, but enough to be afraid of him." Bellamy's jaw clenched and he looks into the pit of the fire. "It got the point where I believed getting arrested was a good thing because it mean I would never have to look at him again. He never came to visit and I never cared. But then I had time to think…"

I pause, afraid to finish my final thought. Bellamy looks at me questioningly. "What is it?"

"I think he killed my mother."

"You think he set you up?" Bellamy clarifies.

I nod my head. "I don't know who else it could have been. My father is an angry man. There is no doubt in my mind that he may have been too aggressive towards her."

"Yeah, but with a knife?" Bellamy asks, incredulously.

I nod my head. I shrug my jacket off to reveal my bare arms. I lift my left arm over my head to point out a small diagonal scar that runs across my skin. "I got this when I was eleven. My dad was waving a knife around like an idiot during one of his rants. I took a nap after school instead of cleaning our cabin."

"Casady…" Bellamy says quietly.

I shake my head and pull my jacket back on. "No. Please, I don't want any sympathy or extra attention because of him. But that is why I don't want to talk to my dad."

Bellamy nods, "I'll make sure he doesn't cause you any issues when he and the others land."

I nod my head, trusting him to protect me from my father, "Okay." I pat the top of my thighs and stand up; pulling myself away from self-loathing misery, "Let's drink, shall we?"

The 100 start multiple drinking games around the inside of the camp. One table was set up for one game and the next another. Bellamy was by my side through it all, actually smiling and forgetting about grounder-drama for just a few hours.

We kissed, we touched, and we flirted, and I felt like we were back in middle school where doing all of this boyfriend-girlfriend stuff felt new and exciting.

After a competitive game of who can drink the fastest, which I had won with no shame, and a brief make-out session with Bellamy, he excused himself to get a couple more drinks and check on Octavia.

I figure I should probably look for Clarke, considering its Unity Day and Clarke and I officially united.

I find Clarke playing a game with delinquents at the table, balancing something metal on the curve of her nose, giggling with giddiness.

I'm about to call her name and join her, but someone calls out mine first. When I turn around, Finn is jogging towards me, his eyes are completely clear of any alcohol in his system which is shocking because Finn likes to have a good time. His cheeks are flushed and he is breathing heavily.

"Finn," I look him up and down, grabbing both of his elbows in my hands, "Are you sick? You don't look so good."

"Listen, I really need to talk to you, alright?"

"Whoa, what's with all this seriousness," I hold a hand up, backing away from the negativity. "Grabs a cup and enjoy the night free from Grounders."

"Yeah, well about that…" Finn sighs, having enough of this dancing around the conversation he needed to have with me. He pulls me away to the side where no one can eavesdrop. "I set up a meeting with the Grounders."

"You what?" I say in a monotone voice.

"I was just with the Grounder that we had in the dropship," Finn says. When he does, I think back to what Octavia told me and shuffle on my feet awkwardly. "His name is Lincoln."

"Lincoln…that's a pretty name," I want to slap myself in the face. What was I thinking when I said that? I was thinking of something to say as to not show that I already new his name. But it just sounded like a dumb drunk slur.

And that's how Finn takes it…a dumb drunk slur. But that's okay. It's better that way anyway. "Shit, now might not be the best time considering your piss drunk but I have no other choice. I need to get Clarke. You wait here."

Finn disappears in the crowd to look for Clarke and tell her the same thing. I look over my shoulder to search for Bellamy but I can't find him anywhere. But that's probably a good thing, because if he knew what was happening he would want to come and he would be ruthless.

Finn walks back to me a couple minutes later and nods his head that everything is under way. Clarke meets us at the gate a little after that. Before leaving, the three of us take a deep breath and silently ponder the idea of what is going to happen. And none of us like the odds.

* * *

"I'd love it if you were right about this, but did you ever consider it might be a trap?" Clarke, officially sober now, asks. I'm getting to the sober part, I'm just a little bit dizzy.

"Yep," Finn nods like it's no big deal that we could be walking into our funeral. "But since it's Unity Day, I decided to have hope instead." Finn flinched back, wincing as he clutches his stomach where he had been stabbed.

Clarke immediately steps up to the rescue, "Oh! Hey. Let me have a look at that." She lifts up his shirt to check his wounds, and I catch her taking a double glance at his body. She coughs awkwardly and drops his shirt. "Seriously, Finn, you're putting a lot of faith in a guy who stuck a knife in you."

"Lincoln is a good guy," I glimpse a shy look at Clarke. "Although no on can see that other than Octavia and I. If he didn't care about any of us, he wouldn't have saved Octavia's life more than once." Clarke bites her lip and looks down. I look at Finn, "I'm assuming Octavia is with him right now?"

Finn nods, "How'd you know?"

"Because I know everything about that girl."

"So then you knew about her and Lincoln?"

"Yeah," I give him a serious look. "But we cannot tell anybody. Especially Bellamy. If he knew, he would send a search party out for Lincoln and have him tortured all over again."

"Speaking of you and Bellamy," Clarke pipes up. "Are you two…"

"Yeah," I say, grinning a little bit.

"He's going to hurt you, you know," Finn says. I stop to look him dead in the eye, disappointed that he would think so. Finn sighs and stops to look back at me, "Bellamy only cares about power, himself, and Octavia. He's going to do what's best for him, even if it means leaving you and the rest of us to die."

"Well don't sugar coat it," I say sarcastically.

"I'm sorry," Finn sighs. "But you're like a little sister to me. I'm going to look out for you."

"Hey, find your own sister," Clarke playfully pushes Finn forward.

"You need to learn to share," Finn teases back.

I'm thankful that serious conversation quickly changed directions.

At the meeting place, Octavia and Lincoln emerge from the trees. Octavia runs towards me and gives me a big hug. Although I have no idea why we're hugging, I don't resist squeezing her back.

She pulls away, "I see you're not fully back at it yet." She looks me up and down and smiles, smelling the alcohol that I'm basically sweating out of my pores because I drank so much.

I push her way lightly, "Shut up. Yes I am." I smile at the Grounder, now formally known as Lincoln. "Hey Lincoln. I hear you speak English. You're looking good."

Lincoln nods his head, allowing the smallest grin to pull at his lips, "Thank you, Casady."

In front of the meeting sight is a stone bridge that links two deep cliffs together. In just any second, the leader of the Grounders will be walking across that to meet us and possibly kill us. That's good.

I hear clacking. Too loud and sharp to be footsteps. Clarke's gasp diverts my attention to the big horses that march across the bridge, a member of the Grounders ride each one.

"Oh my god, horses!" Clarke says in amazement.

"An animal with one head," I say. "Haven't seen that in a while," I think back to the two-headed deer we saw the first day we landed.

"We said no weapons," Clarke says, eyeing their belts that are stacked with swords and bows and arrows.

"I was told there wouldn't be," Lincoln says.

"It's too late now," Finn says, stepping forward to walk side by side with Clarke to meet the Grounder.

Lincoln holds out his hand, stopping Finn from going closer, "She goes alone."

"She can get hurt," I narrow my eyes at Lincoln, wondering if this is what is best.

Clarke nods her head, reassuringly, "I'll be fine."

"Well then if Clarke is going over there alone, then why do I need to be here?" I ask, not annoyed that I was pulled away from the party, more curious than anything.

"We figured Clarke wouldn't do anything reckless if you were in harm's way," Octavia answers truthfully.

Clarke walks further onto the bridge and stops in front of the horse, looking at the Grounder directly in her eyes, trying her best not to look intimidated.

"Your name is Clarke?" The Grounder asks.

The Grounder is a woman, tall and thin. She wears the black makeup under and over her eyes. The rest of her face is caked with dirt and sweat. Her hair is light brunette, knotted with a couple of dreadlocks. If she cleaned up a little bit she would be very pretty.

"I'm Anya," she says.

"I think we got off to a rough start, but we want to find a way to live together in peace." Clarke's voice is faint from the distance between us, but it's clear enough to make out her words.

"I understand," Anya says. "You started a war that you don't know how to end."

My heart stops beating at the sound of 'war'. I look to the others to see what their reactions would be like, and they all mimic mine except for Lincoln's.

"What? No. We didn't start anything. You attacked us for no reason," Clarke says.

"No reason?" Anya scoffs. "The missiles you launched burned a village to the ground."

"The flares?" Clarke asks. "No. That was a signal meant for our families. We had no idea—"

"You're invaders," Anya cuts her off. "Your ship landed in our territory."

"We didn't know anyone was here. We thought the ground was uninhabited."

"You knew we were here when you sent an armed raiding party to capture one of us and torture him. These are all acts of war."

Clarke nods her head, "I see your point. That's why we need to put an end to all of this."

"Are we completely screwed?" I asked the people around me.

"I don't know yet, but it's not looking good." Octavia answers.

"Shh," Finn hushes, never taking his eyes off of Clarke. I can't tell if he is deeply interested in the conversation or Clarke's safety. Probably the latter because he loves her.

"Lincoln said there are more of you coming down, warriors," Anya says.

"The guard, yes, but also farmers, doctors, engineers. We can help each other but not if we're at war."

"Can you promise that these new arrivals won't attack us, that they'll respect the terms you and I agree on?"

Clarke pauses. Of course she can't because the people who take charge of the Ark suck and will refuse to listen to us because we are younger than them even though we are the ones who have survived her for weeks, not them.

"I promise I will do everything I can to convince them to honor the terms that we set."

"Why would I agree to an alliance that your people can break the moment they get here?" The grounder frowns, unimpressed with our offer.

"If you fire the first shot, those people coming down won't bother negotiating. Our technology—They will wipe you out."

"Easy, Clarke…" I mumble to myself.

"They wouldn't be the first to try," Anya glares.

"Clarke, run!" Jasper emerges from the trees a couple of feet behind us and fires his gun into the air, trying to hit something that I couldn't see. But it makes me nervous.

"Clarke, run!" Bellamy runs behind Jasper with his own gun raised. "Casady! Octavia, get back! Go, go!"

Arrows rain from the trees in every direction. This bitch brought backup…well apparently we did too which I had no idea about. And by the looks of Finn's face, neither did he.

"Oh my god! Lincoln!" My head snaps when I hear Octavia scream. "You've been hit."

Lincoln took an arrow in his left shoulder. It didn't look too bad, but it was going to hurt like a bitch to rip it out.

"It's just a scratch," Lincoln says. He reaches for the arrow and pulls it out of himself, grunting with pain. "Okay." He says once it is out. "Run! Don't stop till you get behind your walls! Go!" Lincoln demands and points to me and motions to O, "Take her!"

"Lincoln, no!" Octavia cries when I grab her by the shoulders and force her to follow me. She's sad, pissed, and worried as we race back to camp.

At camp, Clarke immediately approaches Finn, pissed off beyond belief, but Finn has the same look on his face.

"You got anything to say?" Clarke demands.

"Yeah," Finn shouts. "I said no guns!"

"I told you we couldn't trust the grounders. I was right."

"Why didn't you tell me what you were up to?" Raven asks her boyfriend.

"I tried," Finn says. "But you were too busy making bullets for your gun."

"You're lucky she brought that! They came there to kill you, Finn," Bellamy steps in. Then he looks to me, "And you. What the hell were you thinking? You could have gotten yourself killed."

"If there is even the smallest chance for peace, I am going to take it." I answer.

"Jasper fired the first shot," Clarke points to Jasper. "You ruined everything."

"I saved you!" Jasper yells. "You're welcome."

"Well if we weren't at war already, we sure as hell are now," I glare, racking my fingers through my knotty hair.

"You didn't have to trust the Grounders. You just had to trust me. Like I said, best Unity Day ever." Bellamy says.

Our attention drifts from Bellamy to the sky as several explosions sounds through the air. I squint my eyes to get a better look, and come to realize that the thing falling from the sky is the ship the Ark promised to send down.

"The Exodus ship? Your mom's early." Bellamy says.

The Exodus is falling so fast, so close to ground and no parachute has yet to be deployed. Clarke takes the words right out of my mouth when she says, "Something's wrong."

Although miles away, we can hear the impact the Exodus ship makes when it hits earth, heavily. The final explosion creates a large mushroom-like cloud that leaves us in silence.

Clarke drops to her knees, shrieking for her mother who was on that dropship—and now was most likely dead.

My body runs numb when I think of my father who was also supposed to be on that ship. I want to drop next to Clarke and comfort her to the best of my abilities, but I can't move. I can only stare into the shapeless cloud that confirms my father's death.


	10. I Am Become Death

**A/N: Here's another update. Sorry for the wait!  
Disclaimer: I only own Casady**

* * *

Immediately following the crash of the Exodus ship, a group of us head out to search for the rubble. We followed the smoke. Bellamy leads the group while Octavia stayed by my side, giving the occasional concerned glances and mutter of small words of sympathy.

Finn does the same for Clarke, behind us. Raven passes looks of jealousy between the two, but saves any sly remarks for later, considering the seriousness of the other situation.

When we reach the debris, I stop walking when I see how big the damage really is. The parts of the dropship litter about a hundred square feet of land, each emitting small fires and smoke.

The group spreads out, including Clarke, searching for any survivors and tools we can bring back to camp. I stay put, watching from afar. I still have no feelings about this so-called 'tragedy', but I can't find myself to cry like Clarke did.

"They shouldn't be here," Finn says, referring to Clarke and I.

"Their parents were on the ship. They're looking for answers." Raven answers.

"You think Casady is looking or answers?" Finn asks, glancing my way with his lips pressed into a thin line.

Raven sighs, "You want to help her, find me the black box, hard drives, anything that will explain why this ship crashed."

Bellamy walks towards me, a frown on his face. I take a deep breath, preparing myself for a lecture. However, I do not take my eyes off the damage that my father could be hiding under.

Bellamy sighs when he reaches me. Placing his hands on his hips, he says, "You don't have to be here. Someone can walk you back—"

"I'm not a little kid. I don't need a chaperone," I snap. I ball both of my hands into fists and say, "I can do this." I say this and think, who am I trying to convince more? Myself or Bellamy?

Bellamy places his large hand on the small of my back and walks with me. When we get close enough to our people, he says, "Stay sharp. Grounder retaliation for what happened on the bridge is coming, just a matter of when."

"Can you blame them?" Finn says.

Bellamy glares in Finn's direction and says, "No. I blame you."

"Maybe if you didn't bring guns—"

"If we didn't bring guns, we all would've been killed," Raven steps in to the argument.

"Why they're coming doesn't matter anymore. It's our job to be ready when they do. We're on our own now." Bellamy says.

"Clarke, stop!" Raven calls after noticing that Clarke had found something. She bounces towards Clarke and checks it out.

"Rocket fuel?" Clarke asks.

There is some sort of oily liquid coming through the remains of the rocket ship. Apparently it's dangerous or else Raven wouldn't have called out for Clarke in the first place.

"Hydrazine," Raven corrects her. "Highly unstable in its nonsolid form," Raven looks to the rest of us to further explain. "If this stuff meets fire, we're all pink mist." Raven find a rock and looks for another hydrazine filled remain. She screams, "Fire in the hole!" And throws the rock. When it lands, it explodes, proving her point. She looks at Bellamy, "We need to clear the area."

Bellamy nods, "Okay then. We move in formation, no straggling, weapons hot. We got to get back before dark."

* * *

When we reached camp, people spoke in whispers, circling the dropship and listening in closely. When Jasper sees me, he runs to me with his eyes wide. Bellamy listens in closely, concerned that something went wrong when we were gone.

"What is it Jasper?" I ask.

"Murphy's back," Jasper says. "Connor and Derek have him in the dropship."

Bellamy and I take off towards the dropship, ripping the cloth open and see Murphy, beaten and covered in dirt.

"He claims he was with the Grounders," Derek says.

"We caught him trying to sneak back into camp," Connor adds.

"I wasn't sneaking," Murphy says, like he has said it 1000 times. "I was running from the Grounders."

"Anyone see the Grounders?" Bellamy asks. Connor and Derek shake their head no. "Well in that case," Bellamy raises his gun and clicks off the safety.

My eyes quickly go from the gun and back to Murphy and I react by stepping in front of the gun, "No, stop!"

"Casady, get out of the way! We were clear what would happen if he came back."

"If he was with the Grounders, then he knows things that can help us," I say.

"Help us? We hanged him. We banished him, and now we're going to kill him. Now, get the hell out of my way." Bellamy's tone is harsh, and I try to blow if off thinking he is just really stressed out and seeing his enemy here only makes matters worse.

In the middle of our argument, Finn and Clarke had silently walked into the dropship. I was so focused on Bellamy and his gun that I didn't even realize they were here until Clarke said, "No. Casady is right."

"Like hell she is," Bellamy says and turns to Clarke, "Clarke, think about Charlotte."

I scoff at that, thinking back to the times that I had to spend with Charlotte. I followed her into the woods to make sure she wouldn't get hurt when Bellamy found her and invited her to hunt with them. I was stuck in a cave with her and Bellamy as we hid from the acidic fog. And I was with her in her final moments, taking a knife to the throat for her. And he thinks I'm not thinking of Charlotte?

"I am thinking about her, but what happened to Charlotte was as much our fault as his. He's not lying." Clarke points to Murphy, "His fingernails were torn off. They tortured him."

"You and the Grounders should compare notes," Finn says with crossed arms.

"The Grounders know we're at war," Bellamy turns around to get into Murphy's face. "What did you tell them about us?"

"Everything," Murphy glares at the man who hung him. The man who was so willing to end his life after he had done everything he wanted him to do. The man he had once looked up to as a leader.

"Once he's better, we find out what he knows, and then he's out of here, okay?" I say, getting ready to pass him and get the hell out of this dropship.

"What if he refuses to leave?" Bellamy asks. "What do we do with him then?"

I turn around one last time, glancing between Murphy, Bellamy and Clarke. Hating my answer, but knowing it was what we had to do, I say, "Then we kill him."

"Wait, Casady!" Clarke jogs out of the dropship. I don't turn around because I don't want to talk. I don't want to talk to anyone. Especially Clarke, and especially Bellamy. Clarke grabs my elbow to turn me around.

"What?!" I snap loudly, grabbing the attention of the people walking by us.

Clarke sighs, "Look, I understand the pain you're going through—"

"No!" I basically shout, and I don't care if the people around me listen. "No. You lost someone who loved you. I lost someone who's last words to me were 'good luck in hell'." I grimace when I feel the first tear since the explosion fall. "You and I are going through completely different losses. You will never be able to understand my pain."

I shove my way through everyone else who was eavesdropping and push through the gate that secured us from the Grounders.

I start jogging to blow off some of my steam. I think I am sweating, but it's the tears I feel on my face, cascading down my cheeks and onto the dirt. I stop to catch my breath, bending over and resting my hands on my thighs.

I'm gasping for air, letting every emotion I feel out in heaves. I scream out cries of desperation, clutching my heart as if it was just ripped out of my chest. I cry for my father, my mother, and my past life, and how I don't have any of them anymore. Now, I'm an orphan who can't even think of a pleasing memory of her father.

The last time I saw my father, he showed no remorse for me…his only daughter suffering in prison. He only showed resentment and relief that he didn't have to hide it from me anymore. He said nothing about my mother. No questions means he already has the answers: which means he knows what happened that night. And I will never get to find out.

My heart begins thumping loudly as my adrenaline rises. I cry in agony and punch the tree next to me repeatedly. One punch two punch three punch. Each one is for something that went wrong in my life. My father, my mother, my secret sister, a life I never knew I could've had.

"Hey, hey, hey," Someone pulls me away from the tree. Their big, strong arms wrap around me and he whispers in my ear. I immediately seek comfort in Bellamy's embrace. He turns me around so I can cry on his shoulder. I clutch his shirt in despair and wail in pain.

"She's gone," I cry. "And I'll never know why."

"She would have been so proud of you and everything that you have accomplished." I pull away to look him in the eyes and when I do, his face falls. "Casady…"

"What? What's wrong?"

He pulls away from me. "Your eyes…they're bleeding."

I touch my hand to my face and smear blood off my cheek. My eyes go big, shocked and confused as to why this is happening.

"C'mon, we have to get you back," Bellamy says. I nod my head, shaken up, and jog with him back to camp.

I didn't know how far I actually ran until we voyage back. Halfway back, I feel myself get weak enough to want to take a break. The blood doesn't stop falling from my eyes and I begin to worry.

"Casady, c'mon don't stop…" Bellamy holds my hand. I shake my head, feeling woozy. "Cass…Cass!" He's quick to scoop me up in his arms. "Don't you dare pass out on me."

He jogs back to camp as I listen to the rhythm of his breathing.

"Clarke!" He screams after he steps foot in camp. "I need Clarke!"

"Bellamy, what happened?" Octavia instantly runs towards us. I feel her hands wipe away any stains of blood on my face.

"I don't know…"

Clarke walks out from under the dropship but her eyes are also dripping with blood. "Give me her," She orders. Bellamy passes me into Clarke's arms. She backs away with me. I can barely keep my eyes open.

Clarke takes me into the dropship where Murphy is still sitting. Connor and Derek are still here too, but this time with bleeding eyes. She sits me up straight against the wall. Raven and Bellamy followed us in.

"Raven, Bellamy, get away from us." Clarke demands.

"What?" Raven says, incredulously.

"They're the ones who brought Murphy in," Clarke explains. She walks up to Murphy and makes him look at her. "Murphy, hey, look at me. I need you to tell me exactly how you escaped from the Grounders. What happened?"

Murphy coughs, "I don't know. I woke up, and they forgot to lock my cage. There was no one there, so I took off."

Clarke nods her head, like her point has been proven. "They let you go." Bellamy takes a step forward in my direction. "Bellamy stay back!" Clarke shouts, holding her hand up to him.

"What the hell is this?" He asks.

"Biological warfare. You were waiting for the Grounders to retaliate for the bridge? This is it. Murphy is the weapon."

Bellamy, angry, charges at Murphy and grabs him by the shirt. "Is this your revenge? Helping the Grounders kill us?"

"I didn't know about this, okay, I swear!" Murphy denies.

"Stop lying! When are they coming?"

Clarke steps forward. "Murphy, think! Alright? What can you tell us that's useful? Did you hear anything?"

"They are vicious…cruel." Murphy spits.

"No shit," I mutter and spit out a mouth full of blood. Well, shit that can't be good.

Bellamy takes one look at me, and his face becomes tomato red. "You want to see vicious?" He says to Murphy.

"Ah, you and killer?" Murphy finally sees the reason behind Bellamy's anger. "That's ironic."

Bellamy punches Murphy once. He would have done it again but Clarke grabs his elbow and says, "Don't. Whatever this thing is, it spreads through contact."

"Clarke?" Finn enters the dropship, after hearing all the commotion.

"Finn, you shouldn't be here," She turns to the others. "No one should."

"I heard you were sick. Clarke, what is this?"

"I don't know, some kind of hemorrhagic fever." Clarke says. "We just need to contain it before—"

Clarke can't even finish her sentence before Derek falls to his knees, retching and seizing with blood falling heavily from his eyes and mouth. I sit up straighter, panicking at what this illness could do to me.

"What the hell is happening to him?" Finn asks.

"I don't know," Clarke says.

Derek falls flat and stops moving. The rest of us pause and wait for any more reaction.

"Is he—" Bellamy says, not wanting to finish his question. And I don't blame him.

Clarke presses two fingers to Derek's neck and confirms, "He's dead."

"Crap," I roll my eyes and hit the back of my head on the wall.

"Shut up, Casady," Bellamy says, frustrated. "You're not going to die."

"Here," Clarke says, grabbing a tin of alcohol. "Hold out your hand."

"What do we do?" Finn asks, as he rubs his hands together.

"Quarantine," Clarke nods her head and instructs Bellamy. "Round up everyone who had contact with Murphy. Bring them here."

"Well, we have to start somewhere. Connor, who was with you when you found him? Who carried him in? Think." Clarke says.

"The first one there was Octavia," Connor says weakly.

Bellamy's eyes widen and he immediately takes off after his sister.

"I'm going to die," I say to myself.

"No you're not," Clarke says. I glare at her optimism.

"So you and Blake, huh?" Murphy snickers from his seat. "I thought you could have done better, Casady. I mean, I gave you an offer multiple times…"

"Shut up," I shake my head, refusing to make eye contact with him.

"He's not going to take care of you, you know…" I slowly move my head to look at him. "You know how many girls he slept with since we reached the ground? What makes you think you can keep up with his needs?"

"Shut up, Murphy," Clarke warns.

"Oh and then I hear Clarke is your sister now," Murphy smirks to himself as he thinks of more information from my life to torture me with. "You think Octavia is going to stick around and support your new relationship with Clarke? You get away with having a sister, but Octavia is locked up for the rest of her life. What about that is fair?"

"I said shut up!" I stand up and walk over to Murphy, grabbing his throat and banging his head against the wall. "You don't get to talk about my life. Do you understand?"

"Casady!" Bellamy barks as he reenters the dropship/quarantine.

I clench my jaw and take a couple steps backwards before sinking back to my spot on the floor.

"Octavia, come here," Clarke says softly so she can check her out.

Octavia stands in front of Clarke so she can do her inspection. Bellamy glances back from me—his girlfriend, and Octavia—his sister.

"No visible signs of swelling or bleeding," Clarke says.

"So you're saying she doesn't have it?" Bellamy asks, worried.

"I'm saying she doesn't have symptoms, but that could change," Clarke explains. "We need to keep her here just in case."

"No way," Bellamy shakes his head. "Look at this place. She'll get sick just being here."

"Rude," I comment.

"Do you want to stop the spread, or not? Look. I'll keep her on the third level with the people who aren't symptomatic yet. Think of it as a way to stop her from sneaking out again." Clarke says.

"Screw you, Clarke," Octavia glares.

"I'll let you know if her condition changes," Clarke tells Bellamy.

"Welcome to the club," I grin at my best friend.

Bellamy leaves and Clarke immediately looks at Octavia and I know she has a plan up her sleeve. "I need you to sneak out again."

"Clarke…" I say.

Clarke nods, sure of her plan. "It's important. Or your best friend will die."

Octavia glances down on me and back to my sister. "Tell me what to do."

* * *

Later, as I sit here in silence waiting for my time to drop like a fly, Bellamy calls out to the people inside the dropship from outside, asking if we're good on food and water.

"Yeah, some medicine might be nice," Clarke walks out to the ramp so she doesn't have to yell. She's careful not to step too far.

"I'll see what I can do," I hear Bellamy say. "How's Cass holding up?"

"She's doing well," Clarke says. "She's being brave in there. Murdering Murphy over and over again with her eyes, but she's doing well."

I hear Bellamy chuckle, "That's my girl." The phrase has my heart swell. Then he yells out for his sister, "Octavia, you okay?" And the swelling goes down and fills with panic.

I hear footsteps approach the dropship when no one answers.

"Bellamy, wait. She's not here. I sent her to see Lincoln. Look. If there's a cure, he has it. I didn't tell you because I knew you wouldn't let her go."

"If anything happens to her, you and me are gonna have problems," Bellamy says. It reminds me of the words he used with me when we met. That's cute.

A couple of seconds later, there is chaos from outside the dropship. I pull myself up from my seat and open the flap that separates me from the rest of the world and watch as people panic with blood dripping from their faces.

Delinquents raise their guns, afraid for their lives, ready to kill whatever threatens it.

"Calm down!" Bellamy says.

"Put that gun down! Put it down!" Finn yells.

Multiple gunshots go off but no one drops to the ground dead.

"This is exactly what the Grounders want. Don't you see that? They don't have to kill us if we kill each other first." Clarke announces.

"They wont have to kill us if we all catch the virus," Someone says. "Get back in the damn dropship."

"Not to state the obvious or anything," I say quietly. "But your quarantine isn't working."

Clarke's about to respond to me, but my body wont let her. I start to feel dizzy and my legs turn into rubber as it can no longer support me. I fall down, still conscious, but dizzy.

"Bellamy, don't touch her!" Clarke yells when I feel two big hands on my face.

"I'm okay," I try and convince them but no one buys it.

"No you're not," Bellamy says.

"Octavia will come back with a cure," Clarke promises.

"There is no cure…" Octavia's voice booms over the rest of ours. "But the Grounders don't use the sickness to kill."

"Really, tell that to them?" Bellamy indicates to the entire panicking camp. "I warned you about seeing that Grounder again."

"Yeah? Well I have a warning for you too. The Grounders are coming…and they're attacking at first light." She bends down on the other side of me and says, "Come on. I'll help you get Casady into the dropship."

Bellamy looks at Raven, "How many bullets can you make by first light?"

"You shouldn't come in here," I touch Bellamy's chin to make him look at me. "You're going to get sick."

"If he's not sick by now, then he is probably immune like me," Octavia says.

"What special drink did you take when I wasn't looking?" I scowl.

"Shut up," Octavia smirks. "The virus doesn't last long."

"Its true," Murphy speaks up. "I feel better."

"They need to stay hydrated," Clarke tells Finn.

"You need to stay hydrated," Finn retaliates.

Clarke sighs, "Okay. Them too, please?"

"It's okay," Octavia says, offering to get the water. "I'll do it. Just rest."

"You need to save yourself," Clarke tells Finn. "Take anyone healthy enough with you."

"If you think that's even a possibility, you don't know me very well," Finn smirks, brushing Clarke's hair back.

"I know you," Clarke says.

Murphy sighs, "Look. At this rate, when the Grounders get here, there won't be anyone left to fight back."

"That's the point," I tell him.

"Then we slow them down," Finn suggests a new plan.

"I'll be back," Bellamy leans down and kisses my forehead. I'm about to scold him for getting so close when I'm this sick but he's outside before I can say anything. Finn follows after him.

"Hey, Clarke," I say weakly. She tilts her head at me. "I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier."

She shakes her head, "Don't apologize. You were right. We lived completely different lives when we were young. I don't know what happened to you, but I'm going to find out. I'm going to have time to find out because you're not dying, okay?"

"What chance do we have against the Grounders?" I chuckle at the odds. "We're screwed."

"Come on, Casady, don't think like that," Connor says from the other side of the room.

I shake my head, "If I think optimistically, I'm only going to be disappointed in the end. And dead…so…I'd rather know what I'm getting myself into."

Clarke steps out of the dropship. I don't know if she's planning to help, or if she was sick of listening to me. Either way she left.

Connor starts coughing up blood and shaking heavily. He drops to his side and his skin becomes flushed.

Too weak to move, I tell Murphy, "Get him on his side!"

"I'm on it," Murphy moves off his ass and kneels by Connor. "Come on. Come on. Get on your side. You're okay. You're okay, all right? I got you. Okay. Okay. Just breathe. Just breathe. All right. Listen to me. You and me are good. All right. Just breathe. That's better."

I narrow my eyes, fascinated by Murphy's comforting tone and concerned look.

"I put the rope around your neck," Connor says. "Why are you helping me?"

"Bygones," Murphy says.

The dropship curtain is ripped open as people lead Bellamy in as he is coughing up his own blood. No longer weak I stand up, instantly feeling dizzy, but I fight it off to help Bellamy.

"Clear some space," I order. "Lay him down!"

"Oh, no, Bell…" Octavia whispers. She kneels down next to him and says, "Hey, big brother."

"I'm scared," He admits to his sister and my heart breaks.

"I wont let anything happen to you, I promise."

Bellamy grins, "That's what I said to you the day you were born."

"I know," Octavia rolls her eyes playfully. "You told me that, like, a thousand times."

"I'm glad you're here," He says.

She pushes his hair out of his eyes, "Just get some rest now, okay?"

When she walks out, I fold my arms over my chest and looks down on him with a glare. He huffs out a sigh, knowing what I'm going to say next. I raise my eyebrow, waiting for him to say something.

"I know…I know, I should've listened to you."

"You bet your sick tired ass you should have. I told you to step away from me and see what happened when you don't listen!" Bellamy laughs. "What? What's so funny?"

"You're cute when you're mad," He grins.

I glare even more but feel my cheeks heat up. "Shut up and get some rest."

"Since we're both sick, does that mean I'm allowed to kiss you?"

"No," I lay next to him, with my arms folded and eyes closed.

He chuckles next to me and reaches his hand for mine and unfolds it from my arms and holds it with his.

* * *

Later, after Bellamy and I wake up from our nap, Murphy, who is still stuck in the dropship, tries handing a glass of water to Bellamy. Bellamy retaliates and glares, "Get the hell away from me."

Murphy sighs, not surprised by Bellamy's attitude towards him, "Bellamy, you're sick, okay? I'm just trying to help." He holds out the cup once more. "Here."

"When I get better," Bellamy grumbles. "if you're still here—"

"Hey," Clarke breaks up the building tension. "I got this one," Clarke hands him a cup of water, of which Bellamy takes gratefully. "Here."

"You feeling better?" I ask her.

"Yeah." She nods.

"That's good. Have you seen Octavia?" Bellamy asks.

"She was up all night helping people. Murphy gave her a break," She says.

"Don't tell me you trust him now," Bellamy glares, giving her a 'come on' look.

"Trust?" Clarke asks. She shakes her head. "No. I do believe in second chances, though."

Bellamy clenches his jaw, obviously not on the same mind-set as Clarke, "It's almost dawn. Better get everyone inside. If we lock the doors, maybe the Grounders will think we're not home."

"Not everyone is sick," I tell him, thinking of the other people's health issues.

"Sick is better than dead." Bellamy says.

"You don't think Jasper and Finn are gonna pull it off," Clarke narrows her eyes.

"Pull what off?" I ask. Bellamy and Clarke share a look, like 'who's going to tell her?' "I've been stuck in this room for almost a day. I have no idea what's going on out there and I would like to."

"Finn and Jasper are setting a bomb on the bridge. The explosion should hopefully slow down the Grounders and gain us a little more time." Clarke explains.

"Who's taking the shot?" The bomb has to explode by contact and the best solution is to shoot at the bomb so no one is injured. "Finn doesn't use guns….Jasper?" I sit up straighter. "You're trusting Jasper to take that one and only shot?"

"He's the only one not sick," Bellamy explains.

"I can take a better shot than he can," I stand up, wobbling a little bit. "We need to go find them…"

"Casady…" Clarke holds my elbow when I fall into her…to weak to walk. Wasn't this sick feeling supposed to go away soon? Or am I going to end up like Derek?

"Casady sit back down, you need to…to rest," Bellamy tries moving towards me but even the slightest movements tire him out as well.

"Do you think Finn and Jasper can do it?" I ask either one of them.

Bellamy and Clarks share a look and it's enough for Clarke to agree with Bellamy. She says, "I'll get everyone inside."

* * *

A half hour later, my eyes struggle to stay open. I don't feel as sick anymore, but my body is exhausted from being ill. Bellamy and I sit against the wall. My head is leaning on his shoulder while his arm is wrapped around my waist.

As I'm about to fall asleep for what felt like the tenth time today, the ground rumbles below me. I have to slap my hand down to the floor to steady myself.

Bellamy and I share a look. My eyes go wide and I say, "They did it."

"I am become death," Clarke recites from something in her memory. "destroyer of the worlds." Clarke stops when she sees Bellamy and I staring. "It's Oppenheimer, the man who built the first—"

"I know who Oppenheimer is," Bellamy scoffs.

People start filing out of the dropship to welcome back the heroes that saved us some more time to train to fight against the Grounders.

Finn, Monty, Jasper, and Raven walk through the gates as people cheer for them, celebrating a small victory. Raven looks paler than usual, sweaty, with bags under her eyes. She got sick, but she's pushing through it like the fighter she has proven herself to be.

I jog, the best I can jog, to Jasper and Monty and bring them into a hug at the same time. They stumble into my embrace, chuckling slightly.

"Thank god, you're okay." I whisper. I kiss both of their temples and push them back so I'm not suffocating them anymore.

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Clarke walking out the gates and out of the camp. I excuse myself from Jasper and Monty and follow my sister.

She's standing by herself in front of the graves made for the fourteen people we lost.

"Hey," I say quietly as to no startle her. "Are you okay?"

"This isn't the life I thought I'd be living if I were to ever live on the ground," Clarke admits.

I agree, "Me neither. I thought I would be living in a warm house as an only child. And that every day I would wake up not fearing for my life."

Clarke snorts, "Only child."

"Yeah, but hey, I can get used to having a pain in the ass sister by my side from now on." I smile. She grins back at me. "Hey, who do you think is older?"

Clarke raises her eyebrow at me like I asked a stupid question.

"What?" I ask.

"You think you could be older than me?" She says.

"The older, the wiser, right? Isn't that what they say?"

"So, then I'm older," Clarke points to herself and clicks her tongue.

"Shut up," I push her playfully.

"You're outside of the wall without a gun," Bellamy's voice interrupts us. Clarke and I cough, regaining our stiff posture. Bellamy rolls his eyes at his friend and girlfriend's antics. "We need to talk about Murphy."

"He was right about the bridge," Clarke says, defending him.

"We'll see," Bellamy looks away. "Octavia says the mountain men are pissed, whatever that means."

"I'd say it means we need as many soldiers as we can get," I say.

"So, what, we have pardon power now?" Bellamy looks to Clarke for an answer now.

Clarke sighs, "It's hard running things."

She looks back down at the fourteen graves, as she says this, reliving their last moments in her life. It is hard running things. We can't save everybody, and that will be the hardest concept to grasp for the rest of our journey.


	11. The Calm

**A/N: Too anyone who may be reading this, I haven't decided whether I'm going to continue writing for this story. However, I do have more chapters saved to my computer that I would like to post since I spent some time on them and I want them to be shared. I hope you guys continue to like the next couple of chapters.**

 **Episode: The Calm.**

* * *

It's been two days since the explosion. I guess it worked and we gained ourselves some time. But Bellamy uses the extra time to get us trained and ready for the first attack, which could be at any time. Octavia hasn't snuck out of camp to see Lincoln since we set off the bomb. I keep meaning to ask her about it, but I either get distracted by my sister, my boyfriend, or my watch shifts. And any time we're both in our tent, one of us is always sleeping.

Sleeping has become rare nowadays. You're either awake on night watch, or you're awake in your tent because you don't want to be caught off guard when the grounders do decide to kill us all.

Since Bellamy is too busy bossing other people around and doing his own jobs, I ask Nate Miller to help me with my aim when I use the gun. Every time I hold the heavy weapon, I miss my target by the slightest inch.

"You're pathetic," He laughs as I take another shot. We're not allowed to practice with real bullets because we only have so many of them. But Nate says he can tell if I will be able to hit my enemy by just looking at my stance. Apparently my position isn't impressive what so ever.

"What?" I drop the gun to my side and give him a pointed look, frustrated because if I don't get this down in time, I could get myself and the others around me killed.

I'm Clarke's sister, and now that the whole camp knows that, I have leader-like reputation to uphold. I'm also Bellamy's girlfriend—another reputation I have to uphold now that the entire camp knows about us.

Nate puts his hands up in the air to show surrender. He then nods his head towards me, silently asking if he can come closer to me and show me. I nod my head with a sigh, wanting nothing more than to learn as soon and as quickly as possible.

"First of all," he explains, "your legs should be spread apart by your shoulders—not one in front of the other." He pulls my right leg back and kicks my legs apart with his foot. "And your left hand should be under here…" he moves my hand closer to me so the gun is easier to grasp. "Or one of these days you're going to shoot your own hand off and well…that would be a waste of a bullet." Our bodies are pressed up against each other now, but I'm so distracted on getting this down correctly that I don't even realize the closeness. "There, now the gun should feel lighter that way you're not shaking with it."

A clear of someone's throat breaks Miller and I apart. Bellamy has his arms crossed as he gives Miller the death glare. Miller looks like he is ready to pee his pants.

I give Bellamy a gentle grin, "Miller was teaching me how to hold a gun or otherwise I was just going to kill myself with it later…and apparently that's a waste of our resources." I smirk in Miller's direction. That seems to shake his nerves off a little bit.

"First watch is over," Bellamy tells Miller. "Go relieve Monroe on the south wall. Keep your eyes open."

Miller nods his head and quickly rushes out of there. I giggle when he is no longer in my view. I walk closer to Bellamy so that our chests are touching and tilt my head up to look into his chocolate brown eyes. I blink my eyes innocently and pout my lips like a little kid.

Bellamy sighs and kisses the top of my head, hating the fact that it is impossible to even pretend to be mad at me.

"You scared the crap out of him," I say, taking a step back so that we're eye level.

"I could have taught you how to hold a gun," Bellamy says.

I wave my hand dismissively, "You're so busy with your own duties. I wasn't going to take you away from something important to teach me something so—"

"Important?" Bellamy raises an eyebrow and crosses his arms over his chest.

"Whatever," I roll my eyes playfully. "I think I got it now." I spread my legs open a couple inches and hold the gun up the way Miller told me to. "See?"

"Yeah, yeah, okay so Miller is a good teacher," Bellamy pushes the gun down from my face; he's standing so close again and I kinda love it. "But I bet I can be a better one."

"Why don't you teach me something then?" I grin suggestively.

"I can think of a few things you can learn…" Bellamy kisses my lips roughly, but passionately—like it meant something…it wasn't just a plain ol' make out kiss. "Maybe tonight?" He asks when we pull away.

I nod my head eagerly, leaning in for another kiss, but we freeze when we hear someone call out, "Fire!"

Bellamy and I look at each other to make sure we just heard that right, but then shouting follows and we know that we did.

We race back to the middle of camp, where we see the tent that stored all our meat was indeed on fire.

Octavia, jogs out of the smoke, coughing into her elbow.

"Are you okay?" Bellamy asks, going into protective mode. Octavia nods in reply.

"This is all your fault," Murphy screams at a guy named Del. He must have been working with them in the tent. "We told you it was too much wood."

"Get the hell away from me," Del pushes Murphy back.

Bellamy steps in between the two pushes his arms out, "Hey! Hey! Hey! Stop! Save it for the grounders."

"Well now what the hell are we gonna do? That was all the food," Octavia says.

"I'll go check what's left in the dropship," I tell them and walk away.

I walk back out of the dropship, and by this time the fire is put out, and the tent what was once a cream color, is now black and frayed. I sigh at the loss of food and walk to Bellamy and Clarke who inspect the damage.

"We have some wild onions and nuts in the dropship. It's only enough to last us maybe one or two weeks. What's left here?" I ask.

"Nothing, it all burned," Bellamy says.

"Then we have to hunt." I say. The two of them look at me like I'm crazy. Who would dare to step out of camp grounds when their could be an army out there to kill us? But we can't fight if we all starve to death. That would just be pathetic. "Anyone we can spare goes out. The whole Grounder army out there? Look. We can't defend ourselves if we're starving."

Bellamy and Clarke glance at each other, but Clarke nods her head, eventually agreeing with me. Bellamy licks his lips, knowing he has to make the announcement.

"Each group takes someone with a gun, and they're for killing Grounders, not food. We don't have the ammo. Use the spears for hunting. Get what you can. Be back by nightfall. No one stays out after dark." Bellamy tells the group who have surrounded him to hear what he had to say.

He dismisses us, and people instantly pair up with each other, finding their hunting partner.

"Casady!" Clarke calls my name. "You going out there?"

"I was planning to, yeah," I nod my head.

"Good," She says. "Then you're with me. Grab your gear and we'll head out."

She walks away to get some of her own stuff. I watch Myles stop her and ask if he could join. Clarke glances back at me and I shrug my shoulders, honestly not caring who came along with us. She tells Myles 'yes' and walks back to her tent.

I start walking back to my own when Bellamy grabs my elbow. I knit my eyebrows together, "What's wrong?"

"You can't go out there," Bellamy says. "The risks are way too high, and I don't want to take my chances…not with you."

"Bellamy it's not okay to send other people out there if you're not okay with me going," I say, trying to stay calm and not take it personally. "Look, Clarke asked me to go with her, so I'll be in good hands I promise. She's my sister. She'll look after me the same way you do." Bellamy is still hesitant to let me go, but he nods his head, supportively.

"Fine, but just promise me, you'll come back in one piece."

"I promise," I place a small kiss on his lips before grabbing my stuff and jogging back over to Clarke.

"Well would you look at this," Myles basically skips in front of us, grinning to himself. The kid hasn't shut up since we stepped foot out of camp, and he was slowly driving me insane. "Me and the Griffin sisters….or is it the Lima sisters?"

Clarke and I look at each other uneasily, "We don't exactly know…" I say truthfully.

"Oh," he says, not sure how to respond to that. I wouldn't know how to either. "So what exactly are we looking for? What kind of meat?" But of course, he does find something to talk about. "One of those scaly panther things?"

"Boar," Clarke says bluntly. Yeah, this guy was getting on her nerves too.

"Good, because that panther meat is nasty, but I could eat a whole boar by myself, no joke. You know what the best part is of the boar? It's gonna sound gross."

I zone out as I watch the ground carefully with each step that we take. Finn taught me some stuff about tracking…and these kind of prints are perfect to be a boar's. In fact's too perfect.

Clarke notices my divided attention and shushes Myles, "Myles, quiet for a second. What is it?" Clarke asks me.

"These tracks…they're perfect," I tell her. I look up into the trees, my heart coming to a stop. "I think we're the ones being hunted."

Clarke instantly looks up to the trees, scaling each and everyone for a grounder. "I don't see anything."

As soon as she says that, arrows fly out from the trees and towards the ground at us. One of the arrows hits Myles in the leg and he goes down with a distraught cry.

"Myles!" Clarke screams out.

Dammit, I should have listened to Bellamy when he told me not to come out here.

"C'mon Clarke, we need to go!" I scream at her, as she tries to look at Myles's leg.

"Casady watch out!" Clarke cries.

I immediately turn around to see what the threat was. I see for a split second a grounder hitting me on the head with something hard…something really really hard. My sight goes black and I don't feel myself hit the ground.

* * *

I wake up in a small, dirty room. The only lights that illuminates the room are the handmade torches I recognize from Lincoln's cave. The floors are concrete and the walls are stone. My hands are wrapped behind my back with rope.

I panic, struggling to stand myself up to look for Clarke and Myles, remembering that they were the last people I was with before I blacked out.

Two grounders force me up to stand straight. Clarke looks over her shoulder at me. Her hands are by her side, but the glassy look in her eyes portray fear. When we make eye contact, she clenches her jaw and snaps back to whoever she was speaking to before.

"What do you want from us?"

I glance at the grounder standing in front of Clarke. I recognize her as Anya, the grounder that tried to kill us as we were figuring out a peace treaty.

"Help her," Anya motions to a girl that is shaking on a table to the side, drenched in sweat. The girl looks about my age, scared and on the verge of weeping. "If she dies, your sister dies."

Clarke's head whips back at me as I run my tongue over my front teet.

"Crap," I sigh.

"Her name is Tris," Anya speaks loudly.

"I—I can't do this," Clarke stutters, "I don't have any equipment."

"We'll provide you with what we can," Anya says.

"Why do you think I can save her?"

"Lincoln told her," I say, realizing he is the only one who has any 'in' with Anya and the rest of her rats.

Anya nods her head, "Yes. Our healer is gone. There's nothing we can do for her. For her sake," She nods her head at me, "I hope you can."

"Clarke, you can do this," I assure her, giving her an encouraging nod.

Clarke nods back, "Wait. What happened to her?"

"She was on the bridge when your bomb exploded," Anya glares. "You did this to her."

"Double crap." I say.

Clarke hovers over Tris for a good ten minutes, repeatedly pressing two fingers to find the pulse, and fiddling with the tools brought to her by the grounders. She has no idea what she's looking for, and it's putting my life on the line. And I'm starting to get nervous.

"She's getting worse," I warn Clarke, earning a death glare from one of the grounders that is holding my arm back.

"Help me lift her up." Clarke says. Anya nods her head to the grounder that lets me go. I jog over to Clarke and help lift the shaking girl's right side up. "Oh, my God, here we go. She's not moving any air on the left. There's fluid pressing on her lungs."

"I don't see an entry wound," I say, looking her over once more to be sure.

"No. It wasn't shrapnel. It was trauma. The force of the explosion, it hit her in the chest. She's drowning in her own blood. She can't breathe. I have to relieve the pressure." She looks at her table of tools, "I need a small tube, something rigid the size of my finger."

I find something that looks like what she needs and hand it to her, "Here."

"Thanks," Clarke says and then begins talking to herself. "Fifth intercostal space. This better work." She stick the tube through Tris's skin. Small amounts of blood drool down, but Tris begins to calm down. "You're okay. Atta girl. Breathe."

"What have you done!" Anya bellows angrily at the sight of blood.

"No, you don't understand," Clarke says, flustered, "She couldn't breathe."

"So what do we do now?" I ask, trying to hide the fear that sits on my voice.

"She's breathing a little better, but even if we can save her…what happens then?" Clarke shrugs.

"Then maybe we don't have to die today," I say optimistically.

Clarke freezes when she see's Tris's body begin convulsing. She rushes to her aid and places her hand on Tris's forehead. "She's hot. Her heart rate is way up. She's probably septic."

"What does that mean?" I ask her, completely freaked out at this point.

"It means her blood is poisoned," Clarke says.

I start fumbling with what the grounders have given us, looking for some kind of cure…anything that may look like it could help.

"What about this stuff?" I hold a small bottle to her face.

"That slows bleeding," One of the grounders say. Well damn if they know what each medicine is then why aren't they helping? I would have said something and bitched, by time is of essence right now. And I don't want to die.

"Lincoln had that same stuff at the dropship," I say. "I don't see any antibiotics. Maybe that lake seaweed?" I think back to when Jasper was stabbed with the spear and the we found him with medicine patched to his wound.

"She doesn't need seaweed. She needs real medicine." Clarke turns to Anya, "How could you send a little girl into battle? What is wrong with you people?"

"She was with me," Anya says. "She was my second. It's how we train them to be warriors."

"Oh, so the killing can just go on and on," I scoff.

"Casady." Clarke says in a warning voice.

"You put the bomb on the bridge. You did this to her!" Anya screams at me. Now I know her and I will never get along.

"She needs clean blood," Clarke interrupts.

I look at her, trying to focus back on Tris. "Transfusion?" How the hell was she going to do that?

"Okay, there's no tubing," Clarke takes in her surroundings and takes in a deep breath. "So we need a syringe, the biggest one you can find, and I need a hollow needle."

I hastily look for any kind of tool Clarke could use, fearing the pressure of time. I find some kind of need…but it's not very sharp.'

"It's as sharp as it's gonna get," I hand it over to her.

"All right thanks. Guess, there's no moonshine," Clarke goes over the procedure in her head and turns to Anya for help. "Okay, I'm gonna need your blood."

"No," Anya says.

"You're from the same tribe. It's the best match we're gonna get," Clarke argues.

I glance at Tris and say, "Clarke if you're gonna do something, you have to do it now. Just use mine," I hold out my arm.

Clarke nods and grabs Tris by the arm and pokes her several times with the needle. "I can't find a vein," She says. Tris is begging for oxygen, blood now running down her chin from her mouth. Her eyes begin to slowly move to the back of her head as she gives up her fight. "She's clamping down. She's lost too much blood."

"Clarke," I whisper. I know what's going to happen next. It's too late to save Tris—not that it is Clarke's fault. But now I have to pay the consequence. Now, I was going to die.

When Tris finally dies and the room becomes silent, Clarke breaks down in tears.

"Take her away and kill her," Anya orders the guards, who take me by the arms and force me out some door to the outside.

I try fighting them as I listen to Clarke's screams. "No. No. No. No. No. No. No! I did everything I could! No!"

I fear for Clarke's life more than my own. That's why I keep fighting the guards even though it's useless. I don't fight for my life but for Clarke's. Yeah, they said I was going to be the one to die, but let's be honest…do we really think Anya is just going to let Clarke go?

* * *

 **BELLAMY'S POV:**

Casady and Clarke haven't returned to camp for almost two days now. Everyone else who had gone on that hunting trip has come back…and they were the only one's still missing.

Of course this is going to rise panic in me, and Octavia panicking for her best friend's life doesn't help me either. It makes me worry more, like I should be doing something more because something could be seriously wrong.

Why couldn't Casady just listen to me when I asked her to stay back? Why does she have to be so stubborn? That's what I learned about her…she has this list of people in her head that she would risk her life for. And she would stop at nothing to make sure that they were okay. Of course, Clarke is one of them, so subsequently Casady is going to follow Clarke into the grounder infested woods to provide food for the rest of our people.

I brought my concern to Raven a little while ago, asking if maybe Finn has said anything about Clarke since those two seem to be butt buddies. But apparently that is a touchy subject for Raven because her and Finn had just broken up, and I assumed Clarke was the deal breaker. However, she was still nice enough to act worried and even volunteered to help anyway she could.

So while she worked on making more gun powder to create more bombs with Monty, I questioned everyone in the camp about Clarke and Casady's hunting trip: Who they were with? Which direction they went? If any spare weapons were found on the ground.

"Okay, Raven," I walk back into the dropship where she is still working with Monty. "They were with another kid. Myles," I say. "They all left camp together."

"All three of them are still out there?" Raven raises her eyebrow, no longer acting worried but now actually worried.

"Yeah," I nod, my heart racing at the thought of Casady not coming back. "We're going to look for them. Bring the walkies."

Myself, Octavia, Raven, Finn and Monty make our small search party and head out before dark with flashlights, guns, knives, and walkies. About an hour into our walk, we were starting to get overwhelmed and frustrated at the idea that we were never going to find them.

"Where are they?" Raven huffs.

"We'll find them," Octavia says. We glance at each other and think the same thing: who is she trying to convince? Us or herself?

The walk talkie in my belt scratches to life and Monty's voice comes through, "I thought you said you were heading west. Where are you?"

Monty left camp a couple minutes after us to fix one of the walkies after he found a tiny glitch in it. So, he was trying to catch up to us.

I click the button on the radio and talk, "Just keep the moon to your left, and you'll find us."

"Is anyone else hearing this signal?" Monty says. "Just keep your eyes open. I think it's the same thing we heard in the black box."

"Damn it, Monty," I snap. "Pay attention. Do you see anything? Report."

After a minute of silence from Monty, We all stop walking, staring at the small radio in my hand while we wait for Monty's safe voice.

Raven jumps back when she sees one of the bushes move in the absence of any wind. "Oh, my god there is someone in the bushes," She says.

I raise my gun and rest my finger on the trigger, walking in front of everybody else to check it out.

A guy with an arrow in his leg, pushes himself forward, still sitting on the ground, looking so pale and so hurt.

"Myles?" Octavia rushes to his side to examine the arrow.

"Myles, what happened?" Finn gets in Myle's face. "Where are they? Clarke and Casady?"

"Grounders took them," Myles grumbles.

"Take it easy," Octavia puts a hand on Myles's shoulder to stop him from trying to move too much. I watch her have a mental debate with herself in her head before she finally says, "We have to get him back to camp."

I know she is thinking responsibly. But I don't understand how she can find it so easy to drop her best friend like this and just give up. I can't do that.

"What about Casady?" I ask her.

"Bellamy, I'm sorry," Raven says, walking closer. "But Octavia is right. We can't leave Myles out here, and if the grounders took them then—"

"Don't say it," I cut her off and speak through clenched teeth.

"The camp needs you to be our leader when the grounders attack. We can't lose you now. Everyone is counting on you."

"There's still a chance they could be alive," Finn says, taking my side on this. "We can't just leave them out there. That's not who we are. We didn't do that for Jasper, and we didn't do that for Octavia and Casady—"

"We have bigger threats now," Raven defends. "If they're alive, they'll make it home. They're stubborn, remember? Being stubborn works in their favor a lot of the times," Raven speaks softer, noticing the look of loss on our faces. "You have to trust them to save themselves in order to save yourselves."

"We need to make a stretcher," Octavia says quietly when the arguing seems to have stopped. She takes one look at me and sighs, "I hate this just as much as you do, but Casady wouldn't want us to risk our lives to find her when we have an entire camp of people we need to protect."

I sigh, not liking this plan at all, but go along with it anyway. I hold the radio to my mouth, "Monty, we're heading home. You copy?" The radio only gives me static back. He's still not there. "Monty, Monty, where the hell are you? Report."

No answer.

3 people missing. 3 very important people missing. Under my watch.

Silence.


	12. We Are Grounders Part 1

**A/N: Hey, here's another chapter.**

 **Episode: We Are Grounders Part 1**

* * *

 **BELLAMY'S POV:**

Not being able to get a wink of sleep last night, I focus all of my attention on assigning work loads to the 100. One group is on watch, another is making gun powder, and another creating landmines. No one in this camp is sleeping or sitting around doing nothing. Not when all of our lives are at stake.

"Come on," I yell to the delinquents. "These foxholes aren't gonna build themselves!"

With every passing face that walks by me, I think it's Casady's and that maybe she had been here the entire time, and I was worrying about nothing. But with each face is disappointment and a new wave of guilt and uneasiness.

"All the gunpowder we're wasting, we could be making more grenades," Raven approaches me talks by my side.

I clench my jaw and say, "I need this entire section mined by morning." Raven scoffs and turns her back away from me. She's worried for Clarke, Monty and Casady too. Although she wasn't close with either of them yet, she cares for the others. It's almost admirable. "Hey I told you, we're going after Clarke and Casady and Monty in the morning." She continues to walk away from me. "And I told you, nobody leaves this camp!" I say, already knowing what her next move was. "I'm talking to you!"

"We can't just abandon our people," Raven snaps around and gets close in my face. "You want to lead them?" She motions towards the entire camp. "Show them you give a damn."

How could she not think I didn't want to go after Casady. If I could, I would drop everything and follow Raven into the grounder invested woods right now. It was her idea to turn around last night and focus my attention on the camp until morning, and the only reason I agreed to it is because of Octavia and the fact that Casady would have agreed with her too. Now she's acting like a total hypocrite and blaming me for the fact that no one is out there looking for Casady and Clarke right now.

I'm about to respond when a gunshot rings through the air, instantly grabbing my attention. I sprint towards the noise, waiting to find a grounder dead on the ground. But it was just a fluke, a mistake made by someone on watch.

"Hey, what the hell is the matter with you," I shove him in the shoulder. Yes, maybe I am on edge and overly stressed now that Casady is gone, but this is a life or death situation and these people aren't getting how important this is.

"I'm sorry, man," The guy shakes himself awake, "I fell asleep. I've been on watch all day."

"We've all been on watch all day!" I yell. "That bullet was one less dead grounder."

"Bell, you're scaring people," Octavia warns me from behind.

"They should be scared! The bomb on the bridge bought us some time to prepare, but that time is up! The grounders are out there right now, waiting for us to leave and picking us off one by one when we do! Clarke, Casady, and Monty are gone, probably dead, and if you want to be next, I can't stop you, but no guns are leaving this camp! This camp is the only thing keeping us alive! Get back to work!"

* * *

 **CASADY'S POV**

The grounders who had taken me to be killed like a wild animal were tall bulky men, hidden underneath their multilayers of clothing and mud streaked faces. I try to read their eyes before I can no longer see anything.

The one looks more innocent than the other. Maybe he doesn't know what he is doing is good or bad. He might have just grown up being taught that killing strangers was good for his people. And if so, I can't be mad at him, even if it costs my life.

But I can be mad at Anya. She's such a bitch and won't listen to a word anyone who is inferior to her has to say. Although, I refuse to believe or let her know that I am actually inferior.

I think back to Clarke and what she is going through. I know she is blaming herself for my death, reviewing every step of the procedure she did on Tris, trying to find something she missed. She's never going to stop doing it until she's dead. That's the thing about Clarke; she doesn't realize that she can't save everybody. It's a gift, yet a flaw in her personality. She doesn't know when to let go, but it also gives her the perseverance to keep going and find a cure.

I wonder how Octavia would handle my death. Octavia is strong, powerful, and stubborn like me. These are qualities that are going to take her far. Hopefully whatever relationship she has with Lincoln will carry her a long way, and he'll protect her against his own people. She doesn't need me. She can learn to live without me and when she needs a best friend, she has dozens to choose from. Personally, I would choose Monty or Jasper, but that's just my opinion.

Then, we have Bellamy. I wonder how he will get over me. Maybe it won't take him long, since we have only been dating for a few weeks. But hopefully he cares enough that my death with leave an impact on his life. Because although we have only been dating a few weeks, I have grown to love him, even before those few weeks. I am in love with Bellamy Blake. And hopefully he is in love with me too. I'm sad that I will never get to know, but all I care about is that he is happy and lives long enough to find someone to spend the rest of his life with.

As we approach the place where I will take my final breath, wherever that may be, I begin to feel lightened by the thought of being reunited with my mother in whatever afterlife is set out for me. I hope to feel her soft embrace, a kiss on the top of my head, and her soothing voice whispering in my ear about how good it is to be back in each other's arms. That's my heaven. And no where in heaven is my father found.

Each step I take is another deep breath of anxiety bubbling in my stomach. The nerves tangle together, sending my insides in a swirling motion that I think I'm going to be sick.

The innocent grounder, Tristan, doesn't grip my arms too hard like any other grounder would, giving me the idea that he won't make me suffer.

"I can tell you're a good guy, you know," I try and make conversation. When I did it with Lincoln, it happened to work out in my favor, and it started a small relationship between us. I'd maybe even push for a friendship.

"You don't know me," The grounder says, refusing eye contact. The other grounder shares glares to both me and Tristan at the thought of conversation.

I shrug, "Maybe not, but you don't know me either. I could be the love of your life and you would never know because I won't live long enough for you to find out." The grounder doesn't say anything. I sigh, "Will Clarke be okay? Will Anya let her go home?"

"I do not know," Tristan says.

"So, this is who's beating you?" The other grounder says, frowning with disgust. I glare in response, no longer worried about gaining this asshole's respect.

"Who are you?" I ask.

"I'm the man sent to slaughter your people," The grounder grins at me.

"The commander sent you?" Tristan asks with a look of surprise on his face. Do they not know each other?

"Your unit is mine now," The other grounder tells him. "We march on the invader's camp at first light."

My breath hitches in my throat at the threat made against my people. I've never felt more useless and helpless. Am I really going to go down without a fight, knowing my people will need my help?

"My rangers are hungry," the mean grounder says to Tristan. We come to a stop."They're at the river. Go feed them."

Tristan glance once my way and nods his head, leaving me alone with the ruthless grounder.

The grounder turns to face me and punches me in the face twice. I grunt when my face makes contact with the ground, coughing up whatever dirt I just managed to swallow.

The grounder doesn't stop the beating. He kicks me in my side, and I fall flat on my back. He get's down on his knees and takes out a knife. I can't help but start crying at the sight of what kills me in the end.

The grounder takes his knife and slices the left side of my face from my temple to my cheek. "That one is for Tris." The cut creates a burning sensation, which makes me hiss in pain. His shaking hands then move the knife to my throat, getting ready to slice it open like a piece of meat. I gulp, taking in my final breath of air.

Then I hear a grunt; a grunt that does not come from me. The cold metal of the knife lifts from my skin and the grounder falls to my side. His abdomen is bleeding profusely and he chokes on his own blood. A moment later, he falls into silence, lying still.

My breath catches in my throat, and I'm afraid to look up to meet either my hero or my new murderer. What I did not expect is to come face to face with Lincoln.

Lincoln is quick to move the grounder's body and cover him with leaves and sticks. I'm still in too much shock to move.

The sound of horses becomes too close that I don't have time to thank him or ask if Clarke is going to get the same second chance.

Lincoln passes me an encouraging nod that tells me he has everything under control. "Lay down and do not breathe. If my people see that you're still alive, they'll kill you right away."

I don't hesitate to lie on my back and stop my chest from moving up and down. Although my brain hasn't completely processed what was happening, I'm not stupid enough to ignore Lincoln's orders.

"Anya! Look over there!" A deep voice that I don't recognize shouts in the distance.

"A signal fire," I hear Anya, who sounds too close to me for comfort. I bite my tongue and force myself to keep still so I don't spring up and wrap my hands around her throat. "Reapers," She says to herself. "Let them know we see it!" She orders.

"No," Lincoln says. "There is no time. Get to the river."

"Is the girl dead?" I hear Anya ask. My heart beat races at the thought of being caught and then _actually_ having to die.

"Good," Anya says. "Kill the other one and then catch up."

It takes everything in my body not to push myself off the ground and run. They're going to kill Clarke.

When there are no more grounders in sight, Lincoln pulls me to my feet and rips off a piece of the bottom of his shirt. He holds the cloth to my bleeding face as I let tears run down my face like a weak little girl.

"I don't deserve this," I say under his touch. He narrows his eyes but does not say anything, letting me continue. "I let my people hurt you, and in return you save my life."

"You fought for me," Lincoln says. "And I will do the same for you."

"Thank you," I whisper. "Does Octavia know I'm here? Or that you're helping me?"

Lincoln shakes his head, frowning. "I haven't seen Octavia in days. She's with your people at camp. I tried to get her to come with me in hiding so she wouldn't be killed by my people, but she wouldn't leave you or any of her people behind."

"So you stayed back," I say. "What about Clarke?"

"Clarke is waiting for us," Lincoln says. "Come on."

Lincoln leads me to a specific meeting place where Clarke is waiting, paranoid beyond belief, but alive nonetheless.

When she hears us, she whips around, a knife out and ready to kill an enemy. I have to pause in my spot, waiting for her body to relax when she see's it is me.

The wave of relief is overwhelming when we embrace each other in a long hug.

"I don't understand how—"

"Lincoln saved my life," I cut Clarke off, giving a grin of gratitude Lincoln's way. "He killed one of his own people to do it."

"Signal fire?" Clarke asks, "That was you?"

"We needed a distraction," Lincoln says.

"I'd say it worked," I say.

"No well enough," Lincoln says. "By now, Anya will know Clarke is not dead. We need to hurry."

Clarke and I follow Lincoln as he directs us North. As we continue our trek we hear the _neigh_ of several horses and the sound of their heavy footsteps get closer and closer.

"What do we do now?" I ask, panicked.

"Now we run," Lincoln says. "Come on! It's right up here!"

I have no idea what he is talking about. I thought he was taking us back to camp where we could warn our friends about the attack, but I don't recognize where we are at all.

"What is?" I ask through panted breaths.

"Someplace they won't follow," Lincoln answers.

We come to a cave, which makes me look at Lincoln like he is crazy in the head. Reading my face Clarke is quick to ask, "Where does it lead?"

"Everywhere," Lincoln answers, moving a boulder that reveals the entrance to the inside. "There's a tunnel to your camp. If we make it through, we should get there before Tristan." The hoof beats get louder. "Go!"

Clarke and I duck into the cave, jogging a couple feet before turning around to wait for Lincoln. He hurries in behind us and moves the giant rock to the entrance, hiding our escape route from any passing grounders. He jogs to us and nods his head. We follow him.

Later, we take a break from the running and settle down on a couple of rocks to take a breather. Clarke tries examining my face, judging the depth of my cut, which isn't bad at all.

We sit in minutes of silence, listening to any sign that might indicate we've been followed. The minutes were torture as I sat back, waiting for some grounder to pop up with a long sword, ready to stick it in my gut.

I try to distract myself from the anxiety by clacking two rocks together, trying to make sparks. I glance at both Clarke and Lincoln, who sit in silence, fumbling with their own thumbs.

"You were right," I say, trying to create conversation. "They didn't follow us."

"Reapers use these tunnels," Lincoln says. "Tristan wouldn't risk running into them."

"What the hell is a reaper?"

"Pray you never find out," Lincoln says, standing up. "We have to keep moving." As he stands up straight, he grunts from pain, which gets Clarke springing to her feet.

"Lincoln, your hit," She says. "Let me look at that."

"I've fought battles with worse wounds than this."

"You're such a showoff," I smirk, tossing the rocks back to the ground.

"We're not in battle right now," Clarke says.

"Yes, we are," Lincoln argues.

"Why are you helping us?" I ask, breaking apart whatever was about to go down with Lincoln and Clarke. "This can't just be about Octavia." Lincoln licks his lips and looks down to the ground. I didn't want to push him though for an answer. He saved our lives. That's really all that matters. "Fine, don't tell us."

"Give me your knife," Clarke holds out her hand. Clarke leans over our small fire and heats the metal of the knife. She bites her lip and says, "You might want something to bite down on."

Lincoln scoffs, holding up his shirt for Clarke. And I got to say, Octavia has great taste in men after looking at Lincoln's body. "You people are so soft. If you don't learn to be more—" Clarke presses the searing hot metal onto his wound in which he grunts in pain and starts panting. He looks over my way, already expecting my 'told you so' look on my face. He sighs, "What my people are doing to yours is wrong."

At least one grounder has a brain.

After letting Lincoln rest from Clarke tampering with his injury, he points us to the direction we need to go in order to get to our camp before any of the grounders do.

"This can't be the only way," I look down the dark, eery tunnel, basically begging Lincoln with my eyes to find another way. In the distance I can hear scuffling, wicked shouts, and scratching on the walls. They were from the reapers Lincoln warned us about.

"Check the map," Lincoln says. "If you want to get home before Tristan slaughters your people, this is the only way. The tunnel on the right will lead you through the woods into your camp. Lincoln shrugs off his pack and gives it to me. "Take this."

"What are you gonna do?" Clarke asks, eyes wide with fear and anxiety.

"I'm gonna lead them away. Wait until they follow me, then run." Lincoln digs into his back pants pocket and pulls out a small journal with twine wrapped around it. He also hands this to me. "For Octavia."

I hold the book up, examining it. If he's giving it away, it must be pretty important. I secure his belongings into his pack. I look back up to him and say, "Can she get a kiss too?"

He rolls his eyes, playfully of course and I can't help but smirk at the friendship we were making.

"Wait a second," Clarke says. "If they catch you, they'll kill you."

"Worry about yourselves," Lincoln says. "Most of Tristan's rangers will be at your gate by nightfall, but he'll send riders ahead, scouts. All of you have to be gone before they arrive."

"One of them's coming," I say when I notice a shadow on the wall become larger as it inches closer to us. I start to panic as the time we split apart from Lincoln inches closer to us by the second. "Where are we supposed to go?"

"In my book, there's a map. Chart course the eastern sea. There's a clan there, led by a woman called Luna, a friend. Tell her I sent you."

"Thank you," Clarke says.

"Just get Octavia out of there," Lincoln pleads before jogging into the mayhem of reapers.

Clarke and I wait in the tunnel to watch Lincoln, making sure he is alright. These scary looking human things appear out of their dark shadows, hunched over, pale, dirty, bloody, and mean looking. They're inhumane. Their breathing pattern never becomes normal and their eyes never not look crazy as they stare down their prey…in this case it is Lincoln.

Evil distressing cries erupt between every reaper as they catch sight of Lincoln. Their bodies struggle to attack but they're fast, and they swipe at him with every chance they get. Lincoln groans from the contact, but keeps running, doing what he says he would by leading them away from Clarke and I.

"Let's go," I pull on Clarke's arm. If anyone could save their own life from these reapers, it's Lincoln.

"Oh, my god," Clarke says. "Did you see that?"

"Clarke, we need to keep moving."

We take off in a sprint down the tunnel Lincoln told us to use. My boots stomp into puddles of water, splashing me from the knee down. It almost feels good to feel water make contact with my skin. God only knows how long it's been since I've bathed.

Deeper into the tunnel, I hear the creepy growling again in the distance. "They're coming back," Clarke hears it too and stops to look behind us.

"We've got to go," I say, trying not to think of the worst that could have happened to Lincoln.

We run as fast as we can, away from any kind of noise. Even the drop of water from the ceiling of the tunnel sends shivers down my spine. My lungs feel like they're on fire since it feels like I've been running for days. Who knew I was this athletic?

Clarke and I begin to slow down. Every step we take is another wave of burning running through our legs. I lean over and rest my hands on my knees, panting.

"What the hell was that back there?" I say. Never have I seen such a messed up creature in my entire life. Reapers are like the monsters you're told to check for under your bed every night before you go to sleep. "I swear to God, the more we learn about this place, the less we know." Before Clarke can respond, we hear an explosion, similar to what we heard when the Exodus ship dropped to the ground. "What was that?"

"It came from camp," Clarke starts walking again, slowly picking back up into a jog and then a sprint. "We're too late."

I have never been so relieved to see the camp in my life. I was more shocked to see that it was in the same condition that we left it in. No explosion, no fire, and sure as hell no grounders. So what was it that Clarke and I had heard back there?

As we approach the camp, I hear someone call out, "Hold you fire! Hold your fire! Clarke and Casady! Open the gate! Get the gate! Move it! Casady and Clarke! They're back!"

Inside the camp, people seem to be distressed about something, whispering to others, surrounding the dropship and trying to peer inside.

I immediately look for Bellamy and I find him a second later, sprinting towards me and enveloping me into a bone-crushing hug. He fists my hair into his hands and sinks his head into my shoulders as if he'd let me go, I would disappear.

"I thought I had lost you forever," He whispers. He pulls away to examine my face. His eyes roam the length of the cut on my face and gently runs his thumb over it, making me flinch. "What the hell happened to you out there?"

"I could say the same for in here?" I say, motioning to the disorder of the camp. Then I noticed red rash-like mark forming around Bellamy's neck and the glossiness of his eyes, and the extra shade of white that's casted over his face. "Are you okay?"

"Murphy happened," Bellamy says with disgust. Then he shakes his head and changes the topic before I can ask anymore questions. Whatever happened sounds personal. "Where did the grounders take you? How did you escape?"

"I can explain everything later," I step away from his touch and stand next to Clarke who is sharing emotional glances at Finn. "But right now all of us need to leave camp."

"What?" People all over say.

"There's an army of grounders, unlike anything we've ever seen, coming for us right now," I explain. It felt weird to be on this end of the announcements. Usually its me looking up at Bellamy.

"We need to pack what we can and run," Clarke adds.

"Like hell we do," Bellamy snaps, which makes me look down on him with a frown. And he calls me stubborn…"We knew this was coming."

"Bell, we're not prepared," Octavia steps out from behind someone. I want to step down and hug her after not seeing her for so long, but now really isn't a good time or place.

"And they're not here yet," He retaliates. "We still have time to get ready. Besides, where would we go? Where would be safer than behind these walls?"

"There's an ocean to the east," I repeat what Lincoln told me, his pack suddenly becoming heavy on my shoulders. "People there will help us."

"You saw Lincoln?" Octavia looks up at me, hopeful.

"He saved my life," I tell her quietly as to not make that an announcement to the entire camp.

"You expect us to trust a grounder?" Bellamy says. "This is our home." I feel like this is the first day on the ground when Clarke was arguing with Bellamy about the vital bracelets, and just like what is about to happen now, Bellamy will win the argument with our peers. "We built this from nothing with our bare hands! Our dead are buried behind that wall in this ground! Our ground! The grounders think they can take that away. They think that because we came from the sky, we don't belong here. But they've yet to realize one very important fact: We are on the ground now, and that means we are grounders!"

"Yeah!" the people cheer on Bellamy, just like they did the first day.

"Grounders with guns! Damn right! I say let em' come!"

"Bellamy's right. We may never find a place as safe as this," someone says.

"And god knows, in this world, we could be faced with something even worse tomorrow." Bellamy says.

 _Yeah, like Reapers_ , I want to say but I hold my tongue.

"But that doesn't change the simple fact that if we stay here, we will die tonight," Clarke says. "So pack your things. Just take what you can carry now."

I step closer to Bellamy so our conversation can't be louder than the dozens of overlapping conversations.

"Bellamy," I take his hand. "If we stay here, we're all going to die. The grounders are already on their way. They could be here in minutes and we wouldn't know how to defend ourselves."

Bellamy closes his eyes, having a mental debate with himself. "I can't be a coward." The statement is filled with so much emotion that there has to be a story behind it. Murphy probably put it in his head.

"Raven! Raven! Raven!" Jasper shouts, sprinting out of the bottom floor of the dropship where all of the wires are. Jasper sees Clarke and rushes to her, "Murphy shot her."

I gasp at what Jasper said and look at Bellamy, shocked that he wouldn't give me the details on Murphy if he was being this psychotic, but then I remember the time crunch we're in and let it slide.

"Get her into the dropship," Clarke orders and turns around to talk to me and Bellamy.

"Clarke, leaving here is a mistake," Bellamy tries convincing her. "The decisions been made."

"Crowds make bad decisions. Just ask Murphy," Clarke retaliates. True that, sis! "Leaders do what they think is right."

There's a pause between them before Bellamy says, "I am." Clarke walks away, disappointed but strong enough to go in there and try to save Raven instead of having a pointless fight with Bellamy.

Bellamy and I give each other these desperate glances. This may be our last night together, and it's going to be spent living in fear, inside this camp.


	13. We Are Grounders Part 2

**A/N: Here's the season finale of season 1! TheLifeStruggleIsREAL asked if I would just be doing season one or if I would continue. So, I have the first few chapters already written for season two and I am going to post them. I'm still deciding whether to write for the rest of season 2 and do season 3 because I really miss writing for this show and I have some good ideas after rereading what I've already written. So I'm going to see how people like the chapters I have left and make a decision. If you would like me to, feel free to leave a review or message me! Thanks for reading!**

 **Episode: We Are Grounders Part 2**

* * *

My friends and I follow Clarke into the dropship to help stitch Raven up after she was shot by Murphy. And to be honest, it looked bad. The bullet went through her leg, luckily missing the femoral artery, but the it could possibly still be in her leg since Clarke could not find an exit wound. However, Clarke had stitched up her wound the best that she could to help stop the bleeding.

"That should stop the external bleeding," Clarke says to Raven as she puts her instruments down.

"I don't understand," I cross my arms over my chest and glance at Bellamy. "How did Murphy get a gun?"

Bellamy licks his lips and hesitates with his answer, "Long story."

I narrow my eyes at my stone-faced pissed off boyfriend. There's something he isn't telling me, but I don't press it because I don't want to make matters worse and it seems like whatever happened is under control now.

"We got lucky," Raven groans, "If Murphy hit the fuel tank instead of me, we'd all be dead."

"Wait, there's rocket fuel down there?" Clarke holds up her hand to stop any other kind of conversation. "Enough to build a bomb?"

"Enough to build a hundred bombs if we had any gunpowder left," Raven answers.

"Let's get back to the reapers," Bellamy says, thinking back to the story Clarke and I told him as my sister rushed to Raven's aid. We didn't get time to talk things through because our focus was on Raven. "Maybe they'll help us. _'The enemy of my enemy is my friend'_ right?"

"Not this enemy," I shake my head. "We saw them, trust me. That's not an option." I shiver at just the thought of getting too close to one of them. Then I think of Lincoln and can't help but ponder on what happened to him.

"There's no time for this," Finn snaps at all of us. "Can she walk or not?"

"No, we have to carry her," Clarke says.

"Like hell you will," Raven scoffs. In a way, Raven and I are kind of similar; one of the qualities we share is stubbornness - or maybe she just has too much pride. "I am good to go."

"Hey! Listen to me," Clarke stops her from moving. "That bullet is still inside you. If by some miracle there is no internal bleeding, it might hold until we get somewhere safe. But you are not walking there. Is that clear?"

Raven bites back her pride when she sees the seriousness written across Clarke's face. If I was Raven, I'd be scared of Clarke too right now. "Yeah."

"I'll get the stretcher," Finn says.

"Can't run away fast enough, huh? Real brave," Bellamy scoffs.

"Bellamy…" I say quietly, wanting him to stop picking on others just because he is under a lot of stress. Because we're all stressed and scared.

"Dying in a fight you can't win isn't brave, Bellamy," Finn says. "It's stupid."

"Spoken like every coward who's ever run from a fight," Bellamy continues to be annoying. I roll my eyes at the immature behavior.

"Alright, that's enough!" I step between the two bickering men. "Just stop, okay? We're all tired and yeah, we're all scared," I glare at both of them, admitting to the emotion they're afraid to express. "But all we have right now is each other, so we don't need you two barking down each other's throats, so knock it off!"

There's an awkward and eery silence that passes between us all. Finn looks down at the ground guiltily and Bellamy can't seem to take his eyes off of me.

"It's time to go," Clarke says quietly.

"Look, we're wasting time," Finn says. "If he wants to stay, he can stay."

"No, he can't," I glare at Finn. No man left behind, right? I turn around to look my boyfriend in the eyes, "We can't do this without you, Bellamy."

"What do you want me to say, Cass?" He says, hopelessly.

"I want you to say that you're with us," I plead. I grab his hand when he looks over to Clarke for input. I look over my shoulder towards my sister for help.

"Those kids out there, they listen to you," Clarke says to him, backing me up.

"They're lining up to go," Bellamy says. "They listen to you more."

I think I know what this is about. Someone must have said something when I was gone and it obviously gotten to him, and now he was second-guessing his every choice as a leader.

"I gave them an easy choice. But five minutes ago, they were willing to fight and die for you. You inspire them. And I am afraid we're gonna need that again before this day is through."

Clarke nods to Finn to carry Raven out of the dropship and to find a stretcher. Clarke follows out after them, giving Bellamy and I some alone time.

I walk up to him and stand so close that our chests are touching. I lift my hands to cup his face, gently forcing him to look at me, but I make sure the tenderness in my hands are comforting. I need him here with me, I need his head in the game, and I need him to see this clearly.

"You did good here, Bell."

Bellamy chokes back his tears, "18 dead."

I shake my head, "82 alive." Why look at the glass half empty? "You did good. You even scored a girlfriend through all of this."

Bellamy's lip curve into a grin and he wraps his arms around my neck, pulling me into him for a hug, my head surrounded by his biceps.

"I love you," he admits. "I love you so much and I am so sorry it has taken me so long to understand this feeling…" Bellamy takes a deep breath as I pull back to watch his every movements. I want to take in this moment; this moment that I have been waiting for so long. I don't want to miss a second of it. "I've never let someone in like this. I've only let myself get attached to my mother and Octavia. And then you came into my life and I'm all messed up."

"I love you too, Bellamy." I gently touch his neck and press a chaste kiss to his lips. The butterflies in my stomach flutter aggressively like the first time we had ever kissed. In this moment, my world doesn't seem black and white, but filled with so many colors.

"You do know I am never letting you out of my sight again, right?" Bellamy says motioning to the jagged cut on my face.

"Yeah, you keep saying that," I smirk. I hold tightly onto his hand and motion towards the door. "Now, let's get out of here."

We head out with the rest of the delinquents. Bellamy and I walk in the middle of the crowd, that way we're close enough to everyone. Clarke makes sure to stay close to Finn and Raven in case anything goes wrong in Raven's leg and Octavia walks with Jasper and Miller close enough where I can hear their conversation.

"You know the first thing I'm gonna do when we get to the beach?" Miller says.

"What?" Jasper asks.

"I want to go surfing," Miller says.

Jasper snorts at his idea, "Keep your eyes open."

"No more woods," Miller dreams, "just pale, blue water."

I bite my lip and smile. Bellamy can't help the grin forming on his face, which is a good sign because he has been only frowns since we left camp.

I run into Octavia's back when she stops so abruptly, but then I find out it's because the guy in front of her stopped suddenly too.

"What is it? Why are we stopping?" I ask Octavia.

"I don't know," She shrugs. "I don't see anything!"

"Grounders!" Jasper screams. He raises his gun towards the tree but dosen't fire, ordering everyone back at camp.

"I don't see anyone!" Miller says, his gun raised as well.

"They're right behind us," Jasper shouts. I feel Bellmay's arms snake around my waist to turn me around. I grab Octavia's arm. "Go, go, go! Behind the wall!"

Luckily, we weren't able to walk that far, so running back to camp like the stampede we are didn't take long at all. As the crowd clears I can see the reason why we stopped. On the ground is one of our own. I think his name was Drew, but now he is dead.

When we reached camp, everyone waited with their weapons ready for the first attack, but nothing came.

"Where are they? Why aren't they attacking?" someone asks.

"Because we're doing exactly what they wanted us to do," I say.

"What are you talking about?" Octavia asks.

"Lincoln said the scouts would be the first to arrive."

"If it's just scouts, we can fight our way out," Octavia glances from me to her brother, "That's what Lincoln would do."

"We tried it and now Drew is dead," Clarke says. "You want to be next?"

"I agree with Octavia," Jasper says. "For all we know, there's only one scout out there."

"One scout with insanely good aim."

"Clarke, we can still do this," I say to her.

Clarke glances from me to Bellamy, pressure rising as all eyes turn to her.

"Looking to you, princess," Bellamy says to her. "What's it gonna be? Run and get picked off out in the open, or stand and fight back?" Clarke doesn't answer. "Clarke."

"Lincoln said…'scouts.' More than one. Get home before the scouts arrive'," Clarke turns to me with big eyes. "Casady, they're already here."

Fear bubbles under my skin. "Looks like you've got your fight," I tell Bellamy.

He nods, clenching his jaw, ready to make the announcement to camp, "Okay then. This is what we've been preparing for. Kill them before they kill us!" Bellamy points. "Gunners, to your posts. Use the tunnels to get in and out. From now on, the gate stays closed."

People start walking to their places. This includes Octavia who starts walking with the gunners. Bellamy sees this and immediately steps in her way with his hand out to stop her. "Whoa, whoa, whoa," He says. "You're not a gunner."

"No I'm not," Octavia smirks. "Like you said, I'm a grounder." She looks at me with a happy grin on her face and walks off. I can finally see this is where Octavia was always supposed to end up. On the ground, making a difference by fighting back.

"So, how the hell do we do this?" I ask Bellamy and Clarke. "We've got 25 rifles with 20 rounds each, give or take—roughly 500 rounds of ammo."

"While you two were gone, we made some improvements," Bellamy explains. "Thanks to Raven, the gully is mined."

"Partially mined," Raven says, "Thanks to Murphy."

"Still, it's the main route in," Finn says. "If the grounders use it, we'll know."

"She also built grenades," Bellamy adds.

"It's not many," She says. "Again, thank you, Murphy."

"We'll make them count," Clarke promises Raven.

"If the grounders make it through the front gate, guns and grenades should force them back."

"And then?" I ask.

"Then we close the door and pray."

"And pray what?" I look at the four of them incredulously, "That the ship keeps them out? Because it won't."

"Then let's not let them get through the gate," Bellamy says bluntly. He turns around to speak to the rest of the crowd. "All foxholes, listen up! Keep your eyes and ears open. Inflict causalities, as many as possible. You can hold them off long enough to make them turn back."

"That's the plan?" Clarke asks doubtfully.

"Damn right," Bellamy says. "You got a better idea?"

Clarke nods her head and turns to Raven, "You said there's fuel in those rockets. Right? Enough to build 100 bombs?"

Raven nods, "I also said we've got no gunpowder left."

"I don't want to build a bomb," Clarke says. "I want to blast off." We tilt our heads in confusion. "Drawn them in close, fire the rockes…a ring of fire."

"Barbecued grounders," Raven smirks, "I like it."

"Will it work?" Finn asks.

Raven shrugs, "The wiring's a mess down there, but yeah. You give me enough time, I'll cook them real good."

I follow Raven, Clarke, and Finn to the dropship where we try our best to help Raven out with rewiring of broken chords and lines. She tries to dumb down her education as much as she can for the three of us who have no engineering experience what so ever. Every words she uses is a new word in my book, which makes it very hard for me to be of any help.

Luckily I am not the only one struggling. "Raven, we can't find the ignition system," Clarke says. Raven doesn't speak up to call us dumbasses or to tell us to look harder. Contrary to her sassy personality, Raven stays quiet, which spooks the rest of us. "Raven?"

"I can't feel my legs," Raven says, not moving her eyes away from her wounded leg. Her voice shakes in fear.

"Okay, hold on," Clarke drops whatever she is holding and crawls through the door to be by Raven's side. Finn and I follow behind her, exchanging worried looks. "Ok, let me see." Clarke takes off the bandage which is a bloody mess. As Clarke examines the injury, she stays silent, biting her lip which as sign of concern for her.

"That bad, huh?" Raven jokes, watching Clarke's facial expressions.

"Oh, Raven," Clarke sighs sadly. "The bullet is in your spine. You're bleeding internally."

Raven takes a deep breath and nods her head. Raven is one of the strongest people I know. Anyone else would cry hysterics if they knew they were on the verge of being paralyzed. But Raven? Raven is a fighter.

"We better do this fast then, huh?" She says. "Get back down there."

"What if we can slow the bleeding?" Finn suggests. Clarke looks at him sadly. "Would that help?"

"Well, of course it would help," Clarke says. "Can you tell me how to do that?"

"That stuff the grounders had coagulant," Finn says. "You said that Lincoln had some, too. I'm betting that there's more of it in his cave." Finn's eyes fill with hope, and it breaks my heart. "If I can get there—"

"Wait a second," Raven cuts him off and narrows her eyes. "No."

"I can make it," Finn argues.

"Clarke, tell him he's being an idiot," Raven demands.

"Raven…" Finn says softly.

"What? I'm not gonna let you die to save me."

"Fine," Finn says. "If you wont let me save you, how about we save everybody else? You're the only one who can fire those rockets. If you die, we all die." Raven stays quiet. Again, freaky. "I'll be right back." Finn turns on his heels and leaves.

"Finn, wait," Clarke follows him out of the dropship.

I glance over at Raven and she lets her head fall back against the wall. She closes her eyes and inhales a big breath to calm down.

"I can't lose him again," Raven says. "He's all I got left…he's being an idiot."

"That boy loves you," I walk over to her and occupy the spot where Clarke had originally been sitting. "He's going to come back." I shrug with a grin. "He'll come back. He always does. He's Finn. He's smart, knows how to track his way back to camp. He won't leave you stranded here with a bunch of idiots."

I look down to fumble with my thumbs, thinking she is not going to respond. But I felt like it had to be said. Although, her and Finn are not boyfriend and girlfriend anymore, that doesn't mean they still don't love each other. And I think that is important to know.

"Thank you," She says. She smiles a grin of gratitude and reaches for my hand. For the first time, I feel that Raven and I are really connecting, which is really good because I always wanted her to be my friend since she's landed. She's cool and smart and one of the best assets the 100 could ask for.

I stay in the dropship with Raven, talking about our previous lives on the Ark, family, and gossiping about the delinquents we're surrounded by everyday. During our talk, Raven shows her soft side, explaining to me that Finn is the only family she has left, and how hard she had to try to be admitted into the engineering program on the Ark. It was as if the fight outside wasn't happening.

Our conversation gets cut off by the sound of bullets being fired from outside. I rip my hand away from hers so I can run outside the dropship.

Bellamy is standing in the middle, talking into his walkie talkie to several groups across the camp. Our people are shooting at the grounders, yet I don't see any harm coming our way. No weapons being thrown, and no people falling down injured or dead. So what exactly are we using our only bullets for?

"Hold your fire! Hold your fire!" I scream at the top of my lungs. Bellamy's head snaps in my direction as if I had just done something stupidily wrong. I jog over to him and explain myself. "They're not attacking us. Not yet anyway, and we're wasting our only bullets. I think that is what they want, so that way when they do attack, we have nothing to defend ourselves with."

Bellamy nods, understanding. "Good work." Bellamy tells this into the walkie talkie, then everyone lowers their guns. "How's the dropship coming along?" He asks me.

"Well not good since Finn left to get Raven some medicine."

"Octavia went with him," Bellamy says.

"She what!"

"She said she knew where Lincoln's cave was, and that she could make the trip for Finn a lot quicker if she were to go with him."

"And you let her?" I ask, astounded.

"She doesn't listen to me anymore that's for sure. She thinks she's a damn ninja or something."

I hear yelling coming from the dropship, obviously coming from Raven and Clarke. I sigh, pecking Bellamy on the lips before running back.

"It's a mess down here!" Clarke says from the pit of the dropship.

"It'll be orange," Rave says frustratingly, sitting alone against the wall without moving an inch of her leg. The immobility is starting to get to her. Clarke doesn't respond and the silence agitates Raven enough for her to punch the wall behind her. "Look harder! You have to find the wire that connects the manual override to the electromagnet. It's not rocket science."

"It is rocket science, actually," Clarke replies from the pit.

"Guess we finally found something you're not good at," Raven scoffs.

"Alright," I finally speak up after listening to their bickering for too long. "We get it. You both have issues with each other and right now with yourselves. Raven, you're upset because you're the only one who knows how to engineer this dropship but you're stuck with a bullet in your spine. Clarke, you're overwhelmed with the fact that this entire camp is betting their lives on your's and Bellamy's orders. And then, you have the issue that you are both in love with the same guy." Raven refuses eye contact with me and Clarke doesn't speak. "But right now, you two need to get your act together and focus on keeping our people alive. Okay?"

There's a moment of silence before Raven speaks up, "I used to be picked first for everything." Her voice sounds reflected, like she wasn't trying to prove anything to us but she is thinking back on her life. "Earth Skills, zero-g mech course. First every time. So how the hell did I end up here?"

I stay quiet, boring my eyes into Raven's. I don't know how to answer that. Yeah, being in the middle of a war with only 80 teenagers to protect us sounds challenging but she is the one that people are looking to.

"Raven?" Clarke calls up. "I'd pick you first."

I breathe a sigh of a relief, finally these two aren't tearing into each other's throats.

"Of course you would," Raven says. "I'm awesome."

"Hey, I found it!" Clarke says. "Orange wire?"

"About time!" Raven smirks. "Now follow that wire to the override panel."

"Raven? It's fried. Totally useless."

"Tell me this isn't as bad as I think it is," I ask Raven, fear coursing through my veins.

"You know how to splice a wire?" Raven yells down to Clarke without taking her eyes off of me.

"No." Clarke says.

Raven nods in my direction, "Then, it's worse."

"Okay," I nod, rolling my sleeves up and climbing down to where Clarke holds a thin orange wire in her shaking hands. "Talk me through it."

As Raven is about to instruct me through this, outside of the dropship, Bellamy's voice rings out to us through our radio. "Raven, our mines actually worked! Jasper can splice."

Raven snatches her own radio and says, "Jasper, we need you in the dropship right now!"

"Negative," Jasper says. "We can't give up the west woods. The west woods are mine, Bellamy. The grounders just figured that out."

"Jasper, get in here!"

"Requesting back up, now!" Another person says into their radio.

Outside I hear shouting and shooting that is loud enough to be clear even without coming through the radio. Clarke and I pass frightened glances as beads of sweat form at our hairline.

"Stand your ground! If they take the gate, we're all dead," Someone shouts.

"Raven!" I shout. "Tell us again how this is going to work!"

"I've told you five times!" Raven says, "Current flow to the electromagnet. That opens the poppet valve."

"They've broken through! There's hundreds of them! They're heading for the gate! Game over, man! Finish it." Another voice shouts through the radio.

I drop whatever instrument I was holding and begin for the door, my only thoughts were of Bellamy outside the dropship, ready to be grounder beef in any second.

"Casady, no!" Clarke grabs my arm and stops me from moving forward.

"Bellamy's out there, Clarke! He's out there I have to go! He needs my help!"

"I need your help," Clarke pleads. "I can't do this without you, so without you we're all going to die. Casady, please."

"Current magnet to valve to barbecue," Raven calls out.

"Casady, please," Clarke begs.

How is this fair? How am I supposed to choose between my boyfriend and my sister?

"There are too many! Everybody to the dropship now!"

"No! We need more time," I snatch my radio from my pocket and scream into it.

"Gunners, stay at your post," Bellamy's voice says. "The rest of you, inside!"

"Bellamy's a gunner," I whisper to Clarke.

"Please," Clarke whispers.

I listen to the noise outside and quickly nod my head accounting for the lack of time we have.

Raven yells at us what to do and Clarke and I move quickly, splicing the wire carefully and reattaching it to other pieces of the dropship where names don't come into my mind.

"Clarke, they're taking down the gate," Bellamy says.

"Good, because we did it I think," She smiles.

"I'm closing that door!" Someone cries from inside the dropship as people begin piling in.

"Wait! We've still got people out there!" Clarke says.

"Bellamy's not back yet," I climb the ladder quickly before Clarke can stop me.

"Use the grenades," Someone calls. "All right, Jasper, get everybody, get inside now!" Bellamy's voice cuts through the radio.

"There he is! He's never going to make it," Someone says.

"Bellamy run!" I screech. I take a step forward but someone's arm's wrap around my waist to hold me back. It's Finn and he makes sure to grip onto me tight. "He's killing him!"

A grounder had grabbed Bellamy by his jacket and beats him to a pulp. Bellamy is so weak from the fight he can't even move his gun to shoot at the grounder. His face changes from smooth white skin, to bruised, cut, and dirty. I expect the nightmares to come later tonight…if I live that long. His once light brown eyes become pale as the life is beaten out of them. I cry out loud for him, turning everyone's head in the dropship, hoping to gain Bellamy's attention. Hoping that it will tell him to fight harder. I can't lose him. Not now. And I can't help him. I am watching my boyfriend get beaten to death while I stay in my safe haven like a selfish bitch.

"Cass, you can't save everybody," Finn says in my ear. I thrash around harder. You bet your ass I can at least try.

"Jasper, now!" Octavia cries.

I spy Anya, hopping off of her horse like a cocky asshole, making her way to the dropship, unafraid of any of us like none of us are any threat to her.

"Anya," I scream. "You can't win!"

Clarke must have finished the wiring because the dropship starts rumbling to life, slowly lifting itself off of the ground. However, this doesn't stop Anya from trying to get inside before our slow doors shut completely.

She jumps onto a corner of the door and pulls herself in. Her animalistic facial expression sends a few people back into the wall. I can only stare at her with an evil glare. Never have I hated someone in my entire life.

Someone shoots at her before I can reach her, hitting her in the shoulder. Ha, you arrogant son of a bitch! When she hits the ground, clutching onto a whole new sense of pain in her book, I pounce. She fights back though, the wound in her shoulder not giving her too much of a setback. I finally get on top of her, straddling her and punching her repeatedly, thinking of Bellamy the entire time and how much he suffered through the same fate.

Clarke's familiar touch holds onto my raised fist forcefully and screams, "Stop!"

"She deserves to die!" I shout back at her.

"No!" Clarke says. "We are not the grounders!"

"Look around Clarke!" I scream in her face. "What makes us so different from these people. We're both defending what we think is right. And what we think is right is living on the ground which makes us grounders!"

The rumbling of the dropship comes to an end and the dropship falls back the ground. Everyone inside is knocked on their ass and thrown sideways. My head hits the ground pretty hard and I have a hard time standing myself back up.

The doors to the dropship open, leaving the outside world to shine a bright white light in my eyes. Even though I hurt my head, I still have the common sense to look outside those doors for Bellamy's figure, a scream building in my throat.

What I didn't expect was to have people in what looked to be white trash bags suits walk in to our dropship. There were dozens of them, welcoming themselves into our home. I look up to see me and a couple of others as the only ones conscious…everyone else is passed out.

One of the men in a suit approaches me but doesn't say a word. I try looking into his glass face mask to maybe spot something recognizable. But his breath fogs the glass, making him unrecognizable.

He tilts his head at me as if inspecting my face thoroughly. He inches closer and closer until I feel uncomfortable and spit into his face. It would have been a lot more effective if he wasn't wearing that stupid head piece.

The man grabs me by my hair and pulls me in closer to him. His other hands reach into a pocket of his suit and jabs whatever it is into the side of my neck. It pinches, hurting like hell. I grunt at the sudden bee-sting like pain.

A few seconds later, the world around me becomes blurry and I start to feel dizzy. I fall with the final thought of "If we weren't screwed before, we sure as hell are now."


	14. The 48

**A/N: Season 2! Hope you guys like it!**

 **Episode: The 48**

* * *

Pain, destruction, death. Lust, love, family. Rivalry, war. Peace, never going to happen. Is this what the Ark had planned as they sent 100 kids to the ground? If the council had known about the grounders, would we still be here? Or would we be floated on our 18th birthday?

Peace is what keeps a nation alive. Otherwise, there would only be pain, destruction, and death. The only thing to do would be to fight for our lives even if it meant causing pain to a loved one. We have to do what keeps us alive, even if it means watching our best friends get beaten to death a few feet in front of us.

Grounders don't know the first thing about peace. In their eyes, peace means following their every command and us dropping our beliefs and joining their culture filled with murder and ignorance.

However, apparently the mountain men know peace.

The asshole who stuck a needle into me has brought me to Mount Weather as well as the rest of my people. So they say. They stuck me in a lonely white room with a white neatly made bed, a white chair to relax in, and even a mirror to show me my white pale skin. However, 99% of my people will think these new living arrangements are a luxury.

I am part of the 1%.

The door opens for another mountain men. Every once in a while they appear on rotation. "What'd you bring me this time?" I ask the man that walks into my room with another space suit on.

Here's the thing, I have a window on the door of my room (which I am not allowed to leave by the way) and through the window, mountain men and women don't wear their suit. It's only when they come in my room that they dress like stale marshmallows.

I continue, "Roasted boar or smoked fish? Oh, maybe it's another tray of medicine for a disease I don't even have!"

"Unless you would rather be sedated again, I suggest you watch your attitude," The man responds. "You have a visitor."

"I only want to see my sister, Clarke. Where is she? Why can't I see her?"

"She is still being treated and can't leave her room."

"Then—"

"He's here," Another guy pops his covered head into the room. The guy already in my room nods his head and stands straight.

This time, a third man who I don't recognize enters. He is an old man that stands tall in his pressed grey suit, clean shaven face, and neatly cut white hair. He grins when he see's me, not surprised to see a common glare on my face. What makes him different than any other guy that entered my room was his lack of a space suit.

The old guy nods his head to the others, and they leave quietly without any questions.

I raise an eyebrow, "What makes you so different than the others?"

The man chuckles, "Casady, my name is Dante Wallace. I am the president of Mount Weather."

"Good," I say. "Then you have the authority to take me to my sister...and maybe get me some decent clothes." I look down at the align gown I've been wearing for days.

"I do," Dante nods. "And I will do just so after you and I talk." I raise my head as a sign for him to continue. "You've been giving my guards and medics a hard time." I open my mouth to speak but he holds out his hand before I can get a word out. "And I don't blame you." I stop in my place. Never has any leader not gotten mad at me for disrespecting his people. Even Bellamy would when we first landed on the ground. "I came here to explain to you what has happened to you and the rest of your people."

"They're all here?" I ask, finally feeling a sense of hope.

"We rescued 48 of your people. My men and women wear suits around you in fear of radiation poisoning that you seem to be immune to. It wasn't until recently that I learned you were clean. Because you are clean, you are officially allowed to leave this room and meet up with your friends, eat in the dining hall, and be placed in a new room."

"What about Clarke?" I ask.

Dante nods his head, "I have come to learn that you and Clarke are the only ones that are related out of all your people. The others don't have a sibling."

 _The others._ I think about Bellamy and Octavia. I saw Bellamy get beaten to death by a grounder so I'm not surprised to hear that he isn't here, although it crushes me to know it wasn't just a bad dream, but does this mean Octavia isn't here either? Dante said only 48 were taken to Mount Weather. What happened to the others?

"Where I come from, more than one child in a family is against the law. Parents are floated for it, and kids are thrown into jail at the age of 0."

"Well, you don't have to be afraid here. Mount Weather is a safe haven. My team as made arrangements to make sure you and your people are comfortable here. We have even been hunting for extra food. I would like to take you to our dining hall where your friends are eating. Jasper and Monty have been asking for you."

"Monty?" I almost shout when I hear that he is okay, safe, and alive, here in the same building as me. "Oh my god, he's alive?"

Dante nods and holds out his arm for me to link mine into, "May I?"

I nod my head but stop as I am one step in. "Can I get some clothes first?"

Dante chuckles, "Of course."

* * *

After I change into a pair of sweats, a tight V-neck and a black zip-up, he leads me through the long halls and corridors of Mount Weather, giving me the luxury tour of his home.

I do have to say, Mount Weather is a lot nicer looking when it isn't only a claustrophobic room.

When I spot Jasper and Monty eating pancakes and drinking coffee at a rectangular table with other members of the 48, I take off in a sprint towards the two. They hear the commotion of people getting out of the way for a running maniac and look up. When they see me, we become three running maniacs that embrace each other in big hugs, never wanting to let go.

I squeeze each of them so tight I think I'm going to cut off their air supply. Okay, not really. That's an exaggeration, but I was hugging them pretty tight.

"Oh my god," I cry, pulling away and wiping the stray tears from my cheeks. "Monty, I thought you were dead. They told me you were taken. I—I—I—"

"Hey, hey, hey," Monty smiles, grabbing my trembling hands in his. I look over his shoulder to see the rest of the room looking at us. My cheeks blush at the attention. "I'm right here. You can't get rid of me that easily."

"I'm here for you too in case you cared," Jasper smirks.

I giggle and playfully push him backwards, "Shut up." I look around the room for familiar brunette hair. "Where's Octavia?" Monty and Jasper's face fall from grins to frowns. "She's here, isn't she—"

"Cas…" Monty says softly.

"Because if she isn't that mean she's—she's—" I start to feel my heart and breathing speed up to the point of hyperventilation. The reality kicks me in the face and I feel like I had just been punched with a brick. If Octavia isn't here...the worst comes to my mind. I lost two Blakes in one day. "Oh my god!" I whisper, but my voice gradually increases in volume as I start to panic, "Oh my god! I can't—Oh my god!"

"Cas!" Jasper holds my crumbling figure. I clench my fingers around his shirt and hold on for dear life. She can't be dead. She can't be. That's my best friend that I was to protect with my entire life. She can't be dead!

"No!" I scream into his shoulder. "No!"

"Let's get her out of here," Monty says, motioning to the people staring. Jasper nods and leads me out of the dining area and into a lounge that is set up with chairs and couches surrounding a coffee table. On the far wall there is a bookshelf stacked with thick books.

"She—she can't be dead," I say, sitting down on the couch. Monty sits next to me and Jasper sits in front of me on the coffee table. "Bellamy's dead. Octavia can't be dead too. She's my best friend, you guys. I was suppose to die before her, that was the plan."

"You guys had a plan?" Jasper asks.

"Well no," I wipe my tears with the back of my hand. "That was my plan but it was set in stone."

"Listen, Casady," Jasper says. "Just because she isn't here in Mount Weather, doesn't mean that she is not out there somewhere alive trying to find you and I. Okay? Octavia is a fighter who will die from a more honorable death than a rocket ship crash."

My mouth opens at Jasper's words.

"Dude, a little too much…" Monty says.

Jasper glances between me and Monty before saying, "Sorry."

"Who else didn't make it?" I ask. The boys fall silent, and these best friends are never silent, which only agrivates me because I know their withholding information from me. "Who else didn't make it!" I say more loudly, demandingly.

Monty replies, "We haven't seen Bellamy, Finn, or Raven."

I nod my head and hold back my emotional outbreak. "What about John Murphy?" I ask.

"Negative," Jasper answers.

"Good, that bastard can rot in hell after what he's done." I say.

Then, a girl about our age walks into the lounge. She's wearing a pair of dark denim jeans and a floral white blouse. Her hair is dark brunette curled to shoulder length. Octavia always wanted me to cut my hair that short, but I always said I wouldn't look good.

Stepping in, she sees the three of us staring at her. She freezes on the spot and starts stuttering, "I'm sorry—I—I didn't know people were in here…" She walks away after sharing a look with Jasper.

Monty and I raise our eyebrows at Jasper as a hint of blush rises to his cheeks.

Jasper's eyes go wide when he catches Monty and I watching him closely, "What? She had the wrong room," he looks away for a distraction. "Cas, have you tried the pancakes yet. They're amazing." Jasper grabs my hand and pulls me out of there.

"Ooooo, Jasper's got a crush," I tease, feeling a little better but not much.

"Shut up," Jasper says, a grin fighting it's way on his face.

At least I got these two by my side.

* * *

 **CLARKE'S POV:**

To say I'm a panic stricken mess would be the understatement of the year. I haven't slept a wink since I've been stuck in this box of a room, forced to be pinned and pricked with needles I don't approve of. The lack of sleep disorients my entire personality and I become animalistic.

A girl, about my age, checks on me every day. She brings me food and gives me my meds—meds I don't know why I need. I feel fine, except for my lashing out and thrashing about, but that's what happens when you're kidnapped and held hostage against your will.

Yesterday, I had another episode and almost killed the girl with a knife I had hid under my pillow from dinner that night. I wasn't going to kill her but I wanted to scare her enough to let me go. The knife cut through her white plastic suit and her scream was petrifying. It was as if she saw me kill her mother. After that, more guards rushed to her aid and held me back, restraining me to my bed with handcuffs.

The people of Mount Weather tried explaining to me that I am here for a second chance at life and that these people saved 48 of my people. 48 out of 100 alive. That's less than half of what we came down with. The odds are scary and it raises the question: Is earth survivable?

Apparently my behavior is so unacceptable that they had called in Dante Wallace—the president of Mount Weather. When he walks in, he looks at my arms and nods to the "doctor" standing next to my beside. "Restraints aren't necessary."

The doctor, a petite Asian woman with eyeglasses perched on the brink of her nose nods her head, "Yes, Mister President."

Dante nods his head and looks over at the Oil painting that hangs on the wall adjacent to my bed. "Oil painting. You're an artist too."

"Who told you that?" I ask, warily. These people knew my name without me telling them. They say it's in my charts but where did these charts come from?

"Your people did. They also said you were their leader. Looks like you and I have a lot in common, kiddo."

I cringe at the nickname, thinking back to my when my father was alive. That was his pet name for me. When I think of my father, my hand snatches my wrist and I panic…again. "Where's my watch?" It was my father's watch, and I have never taken it off my wrist since the day he was floated.

"I'm sorry, but we can't let contaminated items inside Mount Weather. We couldn't risk it. Our protocol is very strict, Clarke. We prioritise safety over sentimentality."

"What about the rest of the people you captured?"

Dante shakes his head and blinks at me, "But, Clarke, you've got it all wrong. You are not prisoners here. We saved you."

I stand up from my bed, "Well, in that case, you won't mind if we leave. If there are forty eight of us here, we still have people out there."

"The patrol brought in everyone they could find," Dante responds.

I don't believe him.

"What about the Ark? It came down—"

"We saw it. There were multiple crash sites over a hundred square miles. If there were survivors, we will bring them in, too. You have my word."

"I want to see my sister," I demand.

"Of course you do," Dante nods. "She's been asking for you as well. She was released from quarantine yesterday. Change and meet me in the hall." I don't move. "Come on. Let's go." He turns to the doctor, "Let's give Clarke some privacy."

When the door closes and I am alone again, I glance at the clothes displayed for me on the couch across the room. All pastel colors: cream colored sweats, baby pink t shirt and a light green zip up jacket. It looks like I've been sitting out in the sun too long. But hey, it's better than wearing that stupid gown.

I walk out side after I have changed to meet Dante who is waiting for me by the door with a grin on his face. Is this old guy really the president? And if he is, why does he not look cynical? I want to ask him this very question, but I have no doubt in my mind that my sister already has. That girl cannot bite her tongue.

Dante Wallace walks me through the foreign halls of Mount Weather. As we turn into the west coorridor, the loud hums of machines block out any word he speaks to me.

"Sorry about the noise. Hydroelectric power from Philpott Dam. Fresh water from our own underground reservoir. Fresh food from our hydroponic farm."

I look over at him, genuinely confused, "I don't understand. You're on the ground. You know it's survivable. Why would you stay here?"

"It's not survivable for us," Dante admits with a hint of disappointment in his voice.

"The grounders make it manageable."

"Natural selection works. The Grounders who couldn't survive in the radiation didn't. Those who could passed on their DNA. For better or for worse, we never went through that process."

"Well, neither did we. We've been on the ground now for -" I stop when I finally understand why my people can survive the radiation and his can't. "Solar radiation."

"Very good. Your DNA ran through the same gauntlet as the Grounders. Only because radiation levels in space are even higher, your ability to metabolize that radiation is even stronger. Truth be told, our scientists were blown away by the efficiency of your systems. If not for that, your friends would still be upstairs in quarantine." Dante pauses for a moment, stopping in front of two large wooden doors. Behind it, I can hear a crowd of people talking. "You're not fighting for your life anymore, Clarke. You've made it." He opens the door, revealing a dining area, similar to one on the Ark. Here, not one face is stricken with fear, trembling with tears, or drinking their misery away. It's so unusual from what I've been living with. "Welcome to Mount Weather."

* * *

 **CASADY'S POV:**

I'm sitting down at a dining table with Monty and Jasper drooling over the beautiful food that Mount Weather has laid out for us to take. The best part is, we can take as much of the food as we like. There is no limit, unlike the Ark. So of course my people are going to like it here. They're happy and they're not going to question anything about their new life if it means they have to walk away from it.

Not me though. This life is too easy and placed into the palm of my hand without any questions. That's never how my life has been. My life has been jumping through obstacles and overthinking everything. And that's why it's not easy for me to accept this life with open arms.

"You have to try this pie," Jasper grumbles with his mouth full.

"Oh, my god," Monty rolls his eyes back in ecstasy as he eats a forkful of his own dessert. "What is it?"

"I don't know, but it's great," Jasper takes another bite. "Mmm." He holds out his fork to Monty's plate. "My turn."

"What, this?" Monty points to his plate with his fork. "Nah, you won't like it. The pie's way better."

"Cass, why aren't you eating anything?" Jasper asks.

"I—I'm not hungry," I look up from my fiddling thumbs to see familiar blonde hair walking towards us. "Oh my god."

I catch Jasper and Monty's attention and they follow my gaze to Clarke who sits down in front of me cautiously. Her hair is a ratty mess, there are bags underneath her eyes, and her skin looks extra pale. Her eyes never stop moving as she doesn't stop glancing at every face in the room skeptically.

"Clarke," I stand up, my sisterly instincts taking over and I feel the need to go over to her and find out what's got her wigged out.

She stops me, "Sit down and pretend you're happy to see me."

"We are happy to see you," Jasper tilts his head in confusion.

"You have to try the chocolate cake," Monty says.

"Oh, it's on," Jasper smirks with playful eyes.

"I'm not eating their food," Clarke says. "Look. They gave us a map with no exits. I need you to tell me everything you've seen. Every room, every hallway, every way out."

"Way out? Look around you, Clarke. There's no one hunting us here. First time in our lives we're not hungry. Why would we want to leave?" Jasper says.

"Because we have friends out there who need our help," Clarke says and looks at me with persuasion. "Cass, your boyfriend is out there—your best friend!"

"I watched Bellamy die out there. You held me back from saving him, remember?" I glare, thinking back to the grounder beating Bellamy to a pulp. My skin tingles with rage as I think of his helpless body being thrashed into the ground. He's probably dead and I am here wearing clean clothes surrounded by sugary desserts.

"They're looking for survivors, and they're way better equipped to find them than we are." Jasper says.

"This place is too good to be true," Clarke says.

She's right.

"You're bumming me out," Jasper stands up. "I'm gonna get more cake."

"Take mine," The same girl that walked in on Jasper, Monty, and I talking in the lounge room takes a seat next to Jasper.

"Thanks," Jasper smiles, digging his fork into this girl's plate. "Jasper," He introduces himself.

She grins, "Maya."

They shake hands.

"Cold hands," Jasper comments.

"Low vitamin D," She answers. "Unlike yours, which is off the charts, by the way." Jasper takes a big bite of chocolate cake. "No chocolate in space, huh?"

I sit straighter in my seat, uncomfortable about talking about our previous home with a complete stranger.

"Space sucked. What's the deal with all this stuff, anyway?"

"This is nothing. There's an entire warehouse with just paintings. President Wallace is the first to hang them up. Guess he figured just because we don't have windows doesn't mean we can't have a view."

Clarke coughs, "Maya." Maya takes a deep breath and the color in her face seems to drain from her face when she makes eye contact with Clarke. "I just wanted to say sorry for this morning. I was scared and worried about my friends. I hope you can understand that." Clarke walks over to give her a hug, which makes my eyebrows pop in surprise.

After the awkward embrace, Clarke grips my elbow and pulls me out of the dining hall. She rushes me through multiple hallways and down several flights of stairs before I actually get her to talk to me.

"Clarke, where the hell are you taking me? Stop ignoring me!" I pull my arm back violently, refusing to move until she speaks to me.

Clarke looks like she wants to scream at me for holding her back from where we're supposed to be going. She opens her mouth to explain but a loud alarm cuts her off.

The alarm is so loud that it jolts me backwards. I cover my ears with my hands at the sudden outburst. A flashing red light illuminates the hallways, blinking every other second.

"What the hell did you do?" I yell over the alarm.

Clarke answers by holding a silver key card up in my face. My eyes go wide as I realize that this key card can open any door in the facility.

"Alert," A woman over the PA system warns the rest of Mount Weather. "Code Five."

"Not a prisoner, huh?" Clarke grits her teeth and starts running again.

"Unauthorized access. Unauthorized access. Unauthorized access," The woman says.

"We're so screwed," I mumble to myself and follow after her.

Clarke and I reach a dead-end. The only way to get through was to pull a lever that says "DO NOT PULL". But Clarke, myself, and our friends are known for stupid decisions, and one of them was to pull this lever.

I nod my head to Clarke, to give her a reassuring nod to potentially kill us because who knows what's behind the door that we're not allowed to pass.

"Clarke, no!" Our heads whip back to find Jasper paused with his hands out to stop us. His eyes are frantic, waiting for our next move in case he didn't get to us in time. "If you pull that lever, these people will die. Even a little radiation can kill them."

Maya comes up behind him with a gun pointed at Clarke, "Don't make me shoot you."

"Wait, wait," Jasper holds his hand out to Maya. "Clarke, don't do this."

"I don't believe them," Clarke says.

My eyes glance between Clarke and Jasper, not knowing who's side to take.

"If you want to get out of here, killing every person in this place isn't the way to go," I say calmly. If we are going to do this, we need a better plan.

"Why would they lie?" Jasper calls out. "Listen to me. We are safe here because of you. We're safe."

"Not all of us," Clarke says.

A couple of guards follow behind Jasper and Maya with guns raised towards Clarke and I.

"Hold it right there! Get your hands up!"

I give Clarke one last glance before throwing my hands up in surrender.

* * *

 **BELLAMY'S POV:**

To say that life has been extremely chaotic in the past couple of days would be an understatement. The first time I had woken up since the grounder attack I thought I was dead. My head was spinning and my mind was clouded that I thought maybe I was in some kind of afterlife. But no. I'm still on the ground. However, I knew I was nowhere near our camp.

To my… disappointment? No I should not be disappointed that I have a second chance at life, right? I don't know. But what I was disappointed about was not being able to find Casady anywhere. Likewise, I couldn't find Octavia.

I started freaking out, calling my girlfriend and my sister's name loudly until my voice became scratchy and sore. I broke down, punching and kicking the trees around me until I became emotionally exhausted and crashed on the ground in tears.

Later, I found Finn in the same state as I was. Now we were two boys looking for our loved ones—our annoying, stubborn, beautiful, breathtaking, sister girlfriends. In our midst of holding each other with comfort, members of the Ark like Abby Griffin and Marcus Kane found us with a search party.

They brought us to their own camp, which was a collection of their own dropship. They called their camp, 'Camp Jaha' since the Chancellor sacrificed himself to make sure the rest of his people made it down to the ground. As far as the rest of us know, he is slowly dying from lack of oxygen from the Ark.

I can't say I am relieved to hear he didn't make it to the ground because that would make me a bad person. But I do feel grateful that I don't have to look the man I tried to once kill in the eyes. Relief washed over me.

Abby spent time checking Finn and I out for any kind of serious injuries. Luckily, we were only left with ugly bruises and scratches that might leave scars but that was the least of our problems. I just wanted to hop down from the examining tables and scout the woods for any sign of Octavia or Casady.

As if reading my mind, Abby asks me, "Do you know where Clarke might be? Is she with Casady? Are they together? Are they all right?"

"They were when we left," I flinch when she presses a cold compress to my face, but then relax when I feel it's soothing relief. "We'll take you to them." Only I don't know if they are there or not. I can only hope for the best. As I look Abby in the eyes, I can't help but see Casady. They are exactly the same. And I can't help but ask, "Are you Casady's mom?" Abby face falls into shock when I ask. I quickly explain myself, thinking I overstepped a boundary. "I only ask because I can see a resemblance. She freaked out at first when she found out about her family, but she's grown to the idea and now her and Clarke act as if they've grown up together their entire lives."

Abby can't help but smile at that. Then, she slowly nods her head, "They're twins. Clarke was born 7 minutes before Casady." She pauses to put her medical kit away. I can't help but smile. I knew Casady was the younger one. The younger one is always more careless and daring. Just ask Octavia. "The rule on the Ark was one child per family. If there were twins, one would have to be floated."

"They would float an tiny little baby?" I never knew of this rule, but it was cruel and I'm glad I didn't know about it.

"Yes. It's not the parents' fault they had two kids at the same time. It was kind of like the luck of the draw." Abby shook her head. "Anyway, Jake and I knew a family that had been trying for a baby for so long. So when I gave birth to two babies, we rushed Casady off to their home and they adopted her. They've kept our secret and in return they got a beautiful daughter." Abby stops to look me in the eye. "I never neglected Casady. I always had my eye on her, even when she had no idea. I love her as much as I love Clarke. That will never change."

"How'd you know the other family?" I ask, thinking back to Casady's crazy father. From Abby's description, it doesn't sound like she has any clue about Casady's father's background.

"Andrea used to work in medical with me," The memory of Andrea washes over Abby with terrible pain. Does she think her daughter killed Andrea? Or does she believe in her Casady's innocence?

I can't bring up her father's past. Not now. We need to find our girls.

"We should go look for them."

Abby nodded her head and sniffed her tears away, recollecting herself.

Marcus Kane made sure to bring an army of search parties with us as Finn and I direct the crowd to the dropship. Finn stays silent the entire way there.

When we step foot into camp, my heart falls into the pit of my stomach when I see no one here. The dropship looks like it has been abandoned for years. There is no sight of any kind of life. Our homes are now trash, littered on the ground. Any kind of food we once had was taken by wild animals. Any sign of joy that was once outlived here has been erased.

"It's too quiet," An officer says. He takes a few steps out in front of Finn and I and says, "We'll take it from here. Banks, Scanlon, you stay with them. We'll signal once we're sure it's safe."

The officers move forward and Finn and I stay where we're told even though we know that should be us searching for our friends. Not strangers who don't really care whether we find them or not.

I bounce on the balls of my feet in anticipation. The thought of Octavia and Casady being alone and restrained with grounders gets me sick to my stomach. I pray on revenge, and pray that those bastards don't lay a single hand on either of my girls.

The officer's enter the dropship which then explodes with loud noises and shouting. Finn and I exchange looks when we hear a familiar voice. Our hearts spin in circles as we race to get to Raven's side, hoping to find more survivors.

"I got shot. I got shot!" Raven is on the ground, sweating, shaking, and looking more pale than I have ever seen her to be. Her arm is out stretched towards Abby, begging her to take a look at her injured leg.

Across from Raven is Murphy who physically looks like Raven. His eyes are red, lips are chapped, and his hair is greased back from not bathing in days. In the moment, I actually feel bad and wish to help. But my bigger problem of finding Octavia and Casady take over again.

"Where is everyone?" I ask. I don't direct the question to a particular person. Just whoever can answer me with a something I can work with.

"It was awful," Murphy groans as an officer inspects him. "There were hundreds of them and if it wasn't for Raven." He glances awkwardly at her. She stares him back, waiting to hear what he has to say about her. "uhh—I don't know what happened. Bellamy. You're—you're alive."

My protective yet raging nature takes complete control of my body and I stomp towards Murphy—the man I knew we couldn't trust. But did anyone listen to me? No, of course not. Because Casady has the friendliest yet fiercest face that nobody can say no to. Even me. And that's why Murphy is still in this dropship, and why Raven has a bullet in her leg.

I punch Murphy hard, clocking him in the jaw, "You murdering son of a bitch!"

"Stop!" An officer screams at me. He takes out his electric baton that was used on the Ark and holds it to my stomach. The electric shock courses through my skin and I tremble violently. I clutch my burning flesh as I fall to the ground.

"Place him under arrest," Kane orders his guards. Jeez, who died and put him in charge? Oh, yeah.

"Wait, you don't understand," Finn steps up to defend me. "Murphy murdered two of our people. He shot another one. He tried to hang Bellamy!"

"I don't care," Kane says. "You are not animals. There are rules. Laws. You are not in control here anymore."

I give Finn a look as to say ' _We lost this battle.'_ But there will be others. Handing our protection to the people we used to fear on the Ark will not be a smooth transition. And there will be many arguments between the old and the young. However, we need to know when to choose our fights so that we don't waste any energy on loosing a fight we can not win. Even as ironic as it is.

Finn takes a deep breath and turns to Abby, "Raven?"

"She's lost a lot of blood," Abby says, leaning over Raven's leg to take a better look. "It's a miracle that she's still alive. There's no one else in there. Come on, we need to get back to medical."

* * *

 **CASADY'S POV:**

After fighting for over an hour with two guards and some kind of doctor, Mr. President had finally let me be with Clarke again. However, he let security keep the handcuffs linked around my wrists behind my back.

I enter a familiar white room that I was held in before they let me go explore the rest of the vicinity. Clarke's hands are free, and she looks just as terrible as she did before.

Living here is not going to be as easy as we once thought.

"Lose the handcuffs," Dante ordered one of the guards and motioned towards my hands. I feel a smirk tug on my lips when I hear the guard groan in annoyance. Dante turns back to Clarke. "There's a blank canvas if you like." He was right. In the middle of the room is a blank canvas leaning against a wooden stand. Next to the canvas is a palate of paints and pencils that go in order from light shades to dark shades.

Clarke once told me that she used to be very into art when she lived on the Ark. She even continued her hobby in the skybox, using her pencil on the gray wall that surrounded her every single day. However, I look at the utensils in front of me, and I never would have guessed Clarke was so in to it.

Dante continues, "I used to paint the ground, too. It's not just the ground. It's a memory."

"You've been outside?" I raise an eyebrow, scoffing at myself. If he has been outside before, that means others have to. And if so, then what was the big deal of pulling the lever? Dante seems to be in tip top shape to me.

"Yes. Fifty-six years ago. For five minutes. I was seven when the first of what we call the outsiders appeared. Before that, we thought we were all there was. Imagine our surprise."

"I don't have to imagine," I deadpan.

Dante ignores my tone of voice and continues to speak kindly, "My father, this was his office at the time, believed it meant that the Earth was survivable again, and so, he opened the doors. Within a week, fifty-four people were dead from the exposure. My mother and sister among them. Loss, pain, regret. Time eases these things, but the only time it's ever truly gone is when I'm painting."

"You didn't bring me here to talk about painting did you?" Clarke asks.

"I'm afraid I have bad news."

"There it is," I mumble under my breath but loud enough for the people in the room to hear me.

I'm ignored again, "Our patrols have swept the area and found no evidence of survivors, either at your camp or from the Ark."

"How can they be sure?" Clarke asks.

My heart falls to the ground as I think that the only people I saw in the dining hall may be the last of my kind. I didn't see Bellamy, Finn, Raven, or Octavia sitting with any of our friends. I figured they were still walking around outside, trying to find us. To hear they are still missing and probably dead wipes any kind of emotion but grief out of my system.

"They can't," Dante says. "I've ordered them to keep searching."

"I need to see for myself," Clarke says.

"I'm sorry. I can't allow that. I'm doing this for your own good, Clarke. It's not safe out there."

"Radiation has no effect on us," I say. I slowly move my eyes from the floor to Dante. "If you haven't noticed already."

"It's not the radiation I'm concerned about," Dante is starting to lose his patience with me, but he is good at hiding it. "You need time to grieve. These men will show you to your room."

"And if we try to leave?" Clarke questions.

"Please don't test me, girls," Dante warns. He gives us a final nod and leaves the room with one other security guard.

One of the guards is about to separate us again by leading us to our separate rooms. Before Clarke can exit this room, I call out to her.

"Yeah?" She turns around.

Her eyes read disappointment. Disappointed that we can't get out of here, not without a fight. Disappointed that we can't trust the one good thing that has happened to us in weeks—hell, maybe even years. And even worse, disappointed that the hope of finding more of our people—of our friends is crushed into tiny little pieces and those pieces cut through our hearts like shards of glass.

But her voice expresses hope. Hope that I'm going to open my mouth and think of another plan—one that might actually work. Hope that maybe our fate has not been sealed and that there is another way out of here and to do what we need is right.

"We're in this together," I tell her. "We're by each other's side no matter what the consequences may be. You're my sister, and I'm not letting you go, okay?"

This was my way of saying we're going to find another way. Hopefully, it was discreet enough where the gurads didn't pick up on it. Hopefully, they just thought of it as being a sappy teenager.

But the truth is, we need to get out of here. Even if Clarke and I are the only ones to escape.


	15. Inclement Weather

**A/N: This one is a shorter one. I'll try and post the next chapter tomorrow!**

 **Episode: Inclement Weather**

* * *

 **BELLAMY'S POV:**

Kane and his annoying-ass gourds haul me through the woods into a makeshift jail cell like I'm some criminal. Any kind of work I did on the ground that saved plenty of the delinquents has been thrown out the window and forgotten about.

"Open it up!" I hear Kane's voice from further down the hallway. My eyes roll on reflex, and find myself clenching my fists by my side.

"How long are you gonna keep me locked up in here?" I ask as he approaches the cell.

"Until I'm confident you're no longer a threat to others," He replies. "Let's continue. Now you said there were hundreds of grounders attacking." I nod my head. "200? 300?"

"I didn't count," I grumble.

"Why do you think they attacked?" He interrogates me. "What provoked them?"

"We were here," I snap. "That was enough." I think of Octavia and Casady and how they could possibly be suffering under an enemy's hand while I'm standing here having a chit chat with Marcus Kane. "We're wasting time. The others didn't just vanish into thin air. They were taken, and we need to go after them."

"Search team is prepping to leave but not before we've gotten the intel we need from you."

"I need to be on that team," I plead. "Please."

"That's out of the question," Kane denies, "You're not trained. It's too dangerous."

"Those are my people out there," I force my argument down their throat.

"They're my people too," Kane points to himself. "You want to help them? Then tell me what we're up against…grounder tactics, their numbers, what kind of weapons they used—"

"Arrows, spears, axes, swords…their teeth," I glare.

"No guns?" Kane asks. "You had guns."

"The guns we found at the aid depot leveled the playing field, and maybe, maybe if we had more bullets we could have—"

"There were more bullets. Search team just returned from the bunker. They found two more barrels full of rifles and a third filled with bullets."

I think back to the memory of finding those guns. I was with Casady. It was the night we first kissed. We were so distracted from our hallucinations that we just took whatever we could lay our eyes on before searching any deeper. That was also the same night that Casady risked her life for mine. Now, it's my turn.

"We should have looked harder," I admit.

Our attention shifts to the door behind Kane which opens when another guard shoves Murphy through who is held together by his own handcuffs. A growl bubbles in my throat at the sight of him.

"What is he doing here?" I ask.

The guard turns to Kane to explain, "Excuse me, sir, Dr. Griffin cleared Mr. Murphy out of medical."

"Put him over here, Major Byrne," Kane directs him into the cell with me.

Byrne thrusts Murphy into the same cage I'm being held in. We exchange awkward glances at each other. I want to hit him so bad, but I don't want to get in any more trouble than I am already in. So I settle on giving him the death glare.

"Well this should be fun," Murphy says sarcastically, puckering his lips and looking away from my deathly glare.

* * *

 **CASADY'S POV**

The next couple of days are kind of awkward as we hang around Maya who has found an interest in Jasper. So now those two are connected by the hip, exchanging lame jokes and talking about the differences of growing up on Earth and in space.

Jasper, Maya, Clarke and I are currently sitting silently in a lounge area. This awkward meeting was Jasper's idea to try and get Clarke and Maya on good terms again. Unfortunately, I'm here because I need to be glued to Clarke's side at all times or else she might go psycho.

My eyes drift to the doorway as I try to find a source of conversation. Oddly enough, I do. A huge jolt of excitement sparks though me when I see…"Miller!" I jump on my feet, grabbing his attention. I haven't seen Miller since the attack. I didn't realize how much I missed him until I saw him walking the hallway.

Jasper's head whips back to see for himself. His face grows in even a bigger smile than what it was when he was talking to Maya. I swear these two are going to be a couple in the next week if we're still here.

"Look who finally got released," Jasper jokes around.

Miller walks in, happy to see familiar faces. "Yeah, only took, what, 3 surgeries?" Miller waves his fingers at Clarke and I. "I hear you're fitting right in."

"Shut up," I walk up to him and embrace him in a tight hug. He does the same to me and we stay there for a second. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Yeah, me too."

"Here," Maya hands over a pill bottle. "Take these twice a day. Don't forget." Miller takes them from her gratefully, "You'll be ok in a couple of days."

I've grown to like Maya. She's actually really sweet, intelligent, and friendly. Sometimes when Clarke isn't around, which is rare for me, Jasper and I will talk about their "dates". I tease him about maybe asking her out one day, but every time I bring it up, he blushes and is quick to change the conversation.

"Hey you going to breakfast?" Jasper asks Maya.

"Yeah," Maya nods. "You want to go together?"

Jasper blushes again. "Sure, yeah. I…I'd love to—"

Jasper is cut off by another loud alarm. The same exact one that went off when Clarke stole Maya's key. Only this time, the woman on the PA system doesn't warn the people about a girl causing a potential threat in the halls.

"Um," Maya looks around for a second and then offers a small smile to Jasper, "Save me a seat, okay?" She stands up to leave, "Sorry."

"Hey, what's going on?" Clarke stands up too. I glance between her and Maya nervously. Maya also looks a little skittish.

"That signal means the surface patrol is back and someone needs medical attention." Maya explains, "I need to go to quarantine."

Maya leaves the room. When she is out of sight, Clarke stands up and walks to the door, which was predictable considering she's been suspicious of everyone's actions.

"Hey, Clarke, what are you doing?" Jasper now stands.

"Maybe they found survivors," Clarke suggests, "If our people are hurt we have a right to know."

Clarke takes off without another word. Jasper and I run after her, unable to stop her. I curse at myself silently as we race down the corridors to keep up with the blonde girl.

"I'm pretty sure we can't just go wan…" We come to a stop as we watch people in suits bring in three other bodies that lay out in stretchers. "…wandering around."

"What are we dealing with?" Maya calls out for anyone to answer. Jasper, Clarke, and I watch from the sidelines, unnoticed.

"They were attacked. One dead. He's in room two," A guy answers. "The other guy took off his gloves and mask to treat him."

"Nice guy," I mumble, earning a _shush_ from Jasper.

The man continues, not hearing us, "He's still in decon, but he'll need treatment as soon as he's processed through."

Clarke decides that she has bitten her tongue too long and steps out from our hiding spot in the corner and pesters with questions, "Who attacked them?"

Our presence sparks frustration and impatience through the medics as they scream, "What are they doing here?" Clarke takes another step forward, "Hey, stop! It's not safe!"

"It is for us," Clarke says, turning around. She grabs my wrists and motions to Jasper, "Come on." She must have seen something that I missed because she just went from curious to pissed real quick.

"Clarke, slow down!" I say, ripping my wrist away from her grasp so she can just cool down and talk to me about this.

"Stop pushing so hard," Jasper tells her. "These people—"

"Are lying to us," Clarke finishes for him. We tilt our heads in confusion as to what sparked her imagination again. "That's a bullet wound," She points to down the hall. "Grounders don't use guns."

"Unless the grounders got guns from us," Jasper says.

He has a point. I think back to Bellamy and his poor beaten body sprawled out on the ground, a couple feet away from his gun. Anyone could have just picked it up if they walked past it.

"I don't think so," Clarke says. "I think our people are alive out there."

* * *

Later that day, Clarke is asked to meet with Dante, the president of Mount Weather. I ask the officer if I can go with her, but they deny my request. Not that I blame them. She's probably going to get in trouble for crossing her boundaries. She needed to face the consequences on her own.

"You need to get a better control of your sister," Miller says from across the breakfast table as he finishes his first meal of freedom.

"She's eighteen, not eight. There's not much I can do for her at this point," I slap down my cup of orange juice and glare, "Besides what do you know? You were locked up for days."

"Yeah, but people talk. And the talk says that your sister is suffering from a mental breakdown."

I glance at Monty and Jasper who share the same look. Miller was right. Clarke has gone crazy. But do I blame her? I mean can we be so blinded by our new fortunes that we can't see the danger behind it all. Maybe, Clarke has a point.

I shrug, "You never know. Maybe Clarke is on to something."

"Oh come on," Jasper says. "You really think that these people who pick fresh fruit, find clean water, and provide us with better homes than we have ever had are trying to hurt us? Sorry, but I don't believe it."

"That's because you're blinded by love," Monty sings.

"Shut up," Jasper pushes Monty's shoulder, but the smile creeps onto Jasper's face again. "We need to give these people the benefit of the doubt. They deserve that much."

"I agree," I say. "But we should also be cautious in case something does creep up on us. We should be prepared for a fight no matter where we are."

A calming pause separates us from intense conversation. I take a deep breath and look at my surroundings. Happiness is everywhere. Although it's smart to be light on our feet, we should also enjoy the serenity while it lasts.

"You learned that from Bellamy didn't you," Miller says quietly. The sound of Bellamy's name has my heart become an oozy mess. Ugh, I'm such a girl it's disgusting.

"Yeah, I did," I nod. "We were out numbered by the grounders, but we were prepared," I take a last sip of orange juice. "That was because of Bellamy."

Bellamy didn't deserve to die. He was our leader—a hell of a good one too. And I'm not just saying that because I'm biased. Yeah, he had his moments where he wanted to give up and walk away. But with a boost of confidence, he was back on his feet, not cutting any one any slack. This way, no one lacked the skills that would be useful in fighting the grounders. I truly do believe that if we had more people on our side, we could have won that war against Anya and her mutts. Thanks to Bellamy.

Suddenly, the thought of Bellamy becomes too much to think about. I must be showing some sort of frown across my lips because the guys give me sympathetic puppy dog eyes.

"Excuse me," I push myself away from the table.

I walk out of the dining hall and back to my room where I fall onto my bed and cry into my pillow as I think of my losses. Bellamy, Octavia, Finn, Raven, Mom, and even Dad. I want them to be erased from my mind so I didn't have to deal with this pain…this unbearable pain that I wouldn't even wish upon my worst enemy….or Anya.

Unfortunately, I don't get rid of their memories. Instead, I relive them in my nightmares when I drift on to a deep sleep.

* * *

 **BELLAMY'S POV:**

Sharing a cell with Murphy is shit and makes me hate my life ten times more than I already have. All I want to think about is breaking out from my barricade and search the ground for any signs of Octavia and Casady. But instead, I have to listen to Murphy moaning and groaning besides me and trying to pick arguments.

Now, Murphy tries to convince me that he had done nothing wrong by coming back to camp.

"You know, I did everything I could not to scream, but eventually—"

I cut Murphy off, like I have been doing for a while. "You broke and you told them everything."

Our argument has been like this for the past hour: him cutting me off and then me cutting him off. It's exhausting and pointless.

"And you wouldn't have because you're better than me," Murphy says sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"Damn right," I nod. "I'm not a traitor. I didn't tell them where they could find us."

"And I did," Murphy rolls his eyes, "Yeah, I did. After they tortured me in their prison camp for three days, but go ahead. You just keep believing, even if you are in here just like me."

I glare, deciding not to say anymore, and begin pacing the cell.

* * *

 **CASADY'S POV:**

The next morning, Jasper, Miller, and I meet again in the dining hall for breakfast. Jasper says Monty's locked himself up in the library, fascinated with their collection of literature.

I fill my plate with freshly washed berries, roasted pig meat, and a glass of orange juice. Then, I walk back to the table where Miller and Jasper talk about my crazy sister. Again.

"—I mean it's like the one time we have a chance to be happy in what, years? Clarke doesn't let us," Jasper complains, then shoves a fork full of meat into his mouth.

"Maybe it's good to have someone this cautious," I say, cutting my sister a little slack. Miller and Jasper look at me like I have two heads. I sigh, "Well what if she is right? She's only looking out for us. If Bellamy were here, he'd be acting the same way." Miller and Jasper exchange glances before shutting their mouths and moving their food around their plate with their forks. "What? I can't mention Bellamy's name without getting silence and sympathy glances in return?"

Miller sighs, "Well, how are you doing?"

"I'd be doing a lot better if we didn't treat Bellamy's death like the elephant in the room."

"We're sorry, Casady, we just assumed you didn't want to talk about it," Jasper says.

"I lost my best friend and my boyfriend in one day. Of course, it's going to come up in conversation at some point. And it sucks. It really really sucks. But I'm strong." I stab the berries with my fork as I rant. "I am so strong, and—and we're survivors. You know? We should be celebrating and not wallowing in self pity." I don't even know what I'm saying anymore.

"Oh my god, you're broken," Miller comments.

"Shut up," I cross my arms on the table and rest my head against them. I can't even give a motivational speech that's convincing.

"Hey," Clarke's familiar voice rings in my ears and her hand rubs my back soothingly. I feel the chair next to my slide as she takes a seat. "What's going on?"

"My best friend and boyfriend are dead." I deadpan.

"What did president Wallace say?" Jasper quickly asks to change topic of conversation in which I silently thank him. He was right. I don't want to talk about it.

"He showed me Shaw's body," Clarke answers. I lift my head to see her watching me with concerned eyes. "It looked like an arrow wound."

"Well, maybe because it is an arrow around," Jasper suggests sarcastically. "Or that's what they want us to think."

"What? They could have doctored it."

"Clarke, you sound like a crazy person," Jasper tells her. "Why do you want to screw this up for us?"

"I don't know what this is."

"This is…" Jasper pauses to find the right word to describe Mount Weather. "safe. This is food, a real bed, clothes, and my personal favorite…not getting speared by Grounders. How long do you think they'll let us stay here if you keep this up?"

Miller and I share a look that says these two are never going to see eye to eye.

"Did someone threaten you?" Clarke asks him.

"Heh, no, no. It's common sense." Jasper wipes his mouth with a napkin and slaps it down on the table. "Look. We're guests here, not prisoners. What would you do with a guest who kept calling you a liar and generally acted like an ungrateful ass?"

"Kick the ungrateful ass out," Miller comments. I kick his shin under the table. His eyes go wide and he gives me a dirty look.

Jasper nods, "Right now, biggest threat to us is you."

The table falls silent as Clarke lets those words sink in.

* * *

 **BELLAMY'S POV:**

It felt like years by the time Finn came to rescue me out of this hell hole. However, as crazy as it sounds, I'm making Murphy come with us. He can actually help us, but it might take a while to convince Finn that.

"Get up," Finn orders as he unlocks the cell. "We're going after them."

"Its about time," I say. Finn hands me the key to undo my handcuffs and begins to walk out.

Murphy stands, calling out to Finn, "Wait, wait. What about me?" Finn looks back with a glare.

I sigh and take the key Finn gave me to unlock Murphy's restraints. Finn's eyes go wide and holds out his hand to stop me. "Wait. No! What are you doing?"

"He's coming with us," I tell him.

"No way."

"He's been to the Grounder's prison camp," I inform him.

"He's right. Okay. I can bring you there," Murphy pitches.

"Hey," Monroe pops her head from behind the wall. "Sterling just signaled. Someone's coming."

Finn, with the help of Monroe, leads me and Murphy through the hallways where anyone can find us. I start to get anxious and ask Finn what the hell his plan was. We follow him into a secret room where I am surprised to see Abby and another guard waiting.

"You're late," Abby says to Finn.

"Bellamy decided to bring company," Finn grumbles.

"He's the only person that's been in their camp," I inform Abby just like I had to Finn. I don't regret my decision to bring him along…not yet anyway.

"Here," the guard hands me a picture. The picture is of a boy about my age, darker skin with a five o'clock shadow. I recognized him as the boy teaching Casady how to hold a gun. "Find my son. His name is Nathan Miller."

"Bring them home," Abby says. "Bring my daughters home."


	16. Reapercussions

**A/N: Another short one, sorry! Hope you guys are enjoying the story so far. Let me know what you think in the reviews!**

 **Episode: Reapercussions**

* * *

I am abruptly disrupted from my sleep when Clarke shakes me awake, violently might I add. I was about to bitch her out for it too, thinking she was on one of her psychotic breaks again, but her hysterical, feverish eyes shut me up. Her hands stop moving when she sees she has my full attention, but her fingers slowly grip my shoulders tighter and tighter.

"Jeez, Clarke," I push her hands off of my shoulders and sit her down on my bed. "You look like you've just seen a ghost." Clarke doesn't say anything which freaks me out even more. "Clarke!"

"You need to come with me."

Clarke rips me out of my bed and stops at the door, checking for any guards, then drags me through the hallways in my sweats and tank top. Any kind of noise that comes out of my mouth is quickly shushed by Clarke.

She takes me through corridors that I have never been through, areas of Mount Weather that I have never seen. I can't help but wonder how the hell she got here.

Clarke takes me into a room where the mountain men seem to have hidden pretty well for some odd reason. However, that odd reason becomes certainly clear to me when we enter a room filled with cages, and in those cages are moaning human beings.

"Oh my god," I freeze in place as I take it all in. I don't know how Clarke found this place, but somehow she did, and she proved herself to be not crazy. Clarke keeps moving forward, no longer fazed by this craziness. I watch as Clarke moves to one cage that holds…"Anya?"

Clarke fumbles with the locks and keys of Anya's cage. "Come on," She whispers to herself. She drops the key with her shaky hands and the key clanks to the ground. "Oh, damn it."

"Come on, quick!" Anya pushes against the crate. I forgot just how much I hated Anya. Can't she see that Clarke is a little bit wobbly, just finding out that she was right to not trust these people this entire time? However, I think I would be cranky and anxious too if I had been trapped in a small cage for days.

The three of us stop when we hear a door creak open. My heart beats so fast I think it might move up my throat and out of my mouth. Clarke shuts the gate to Anya's cage again and moves into the shadows of the room. I follow her lead and take a seat behind another grounder's crate as I try to control my heavy breathing.

When the door closes again and there is no new set of footprints in the room, Clarke races from her position and unlocks Anya.

"Okay, we've got to go now," Clarke says. I don't know where she plans on going. Someone's waiting outside the door and the probability of getting caught as we stroll the hallways is really high.

Anya steps out of her cage. She is skintight black shorts, a shirt that cuts off at the chest, revealing her flat stomach, and walks in bare feet.

An alarm above us blares again. This time there is a whole new meaning to this sound. When the alarm blares through the speakers, it's not to alert every single person on Mount Weather, new or old. It's to alert the originals, to show that something is wrong with it's prisoners. Us.

"What is that?" Anya asks Clarke.

"I don't know," Clarke responds. She pulls on Anya's hand and pulls her towards the wall on the opposite side. Leaving me by myself like I was a dirty sock, I scoff, and run after them.

Clarke moves a square frame from the wall that leads to a laundry shoot. Why it's in this room, I have no idea. However, it's the perfect escape route.

The three of us scream as we slide down a tunnel of darkness. Instead of hitting a cold hard floor, we hit something soft. After I take a second to breathe I sit myself up and feel the softness of dirty clothes being transported for wash.

"We're out," I stand up and peer over the dumpster filled with clothes on wheels. We're in a tunnel similar to the one Lincoln led Clarke and I through when he saved us from the grounders. I climb out of this rolly-thingy-ca-bob and stumble to stand up.

"Come on," Clarke tosses a shirt and a pair of pants my way and orders me to get dressed. "We can't cover any ground looking like this."

Anya stares at the clothes in her hand and says, "I won't leave my people."

Clarke scowls as she shrugs on her own set of changed clothes, "Anya, now, listen to me. My people are still inside that place, too, but they have guards. They have weapons. Once we get out of here, we can find help. We can come back."

"There is no we," Anya glares at Clarke with looks that can kill.

Clarke opens her mouth to reply but an indistinct male voice from down the tunnel. "Someone's coming," I say. One voice, and then two. They multiply as they get closer, but I can't make out any words.

"Not just someone," Anya says. Clarke and I look at her for more information. "Reapers."

Anya steps forward to do something reckless, something a ruthless grounder would do, but I grab her wrist before she can take another step. "Hey. Anya, you can't fight. You can hardly stand."

"You got a better idea?" She scoffs.

I look between the grounder, my sister, and the clothes in the bin. I nod my head and make the two of them climb back into the clothes bucket.

As we lay there in complete silence, the reapers come closer and closer. Soon, my breath catches in the back of my throat when I feel us being moved. The sound of the squeaky wheels become deafening. My mind races with all the possibilities of where we might be going. And the worst part is, I can only lay here in silence and hope for the best.

* * *

 **BELLAMY'S POV:**

My feet become sore as it feels like we have been walking for hours with no breaks and no new scenery, which makes me nervous that we're wasting time. Finn stays silent, hating me for bringing Murphy along, but I don't regret my decision. Although neither of us like it, Murphy can help us. So he can go ahead and be mad at me all he wants, as long as keeps our mission in focus.

"All right, Murphy," I finally sigh. "Where to now?"

Murphy looks at me with such distaste in his eyes. He holds his bound wrists in front of me. "Let's say we lose these first, huh?"

"No."

"If we get attacked out here, I have nothing to defend myself with," Murphy complains.

"I don't care," I say, but I don't really know if I believe it. The Bellamy that first arrived on the ground would not care at all. One dead, one less to worry about. As long as it didn't ruin his reputation, then who the hell cares? But these past couple of weeks had taught me that reputation is not the most important thing in life. Life is the most important thing in life. Living. Surviving. That's what's important. And like Clarke said, "We don't get to decided who lives and who dies. Every life here on Earth matters." And she was right.

As much as I hate to admit it, I also miss that pain in the ass constantly jamming her opinions down my throat.

I'm so deep in thought, I don't even notice Finn turn around to undo Murphy's ties. "Hey, what the hell are you doing?" I say loudly.

"It was your idea to bring him," Finn replies bluntly.

"Yeah, because he's the only one who's seen where the grounders keep their prisoners." It's not like I wanted him hear for the sheer pleasure of his company.

"Then we probably shouldn't let him be defenseless out here," Finn says. "We can handle Murphy."

"You better hope so," I walk past him.

From behind me, I hear Murphy ask, "So, do I get a gun now?" I don't have the patience to answer him. His answer is silence.

We walk for about another hour before Murphy begins gloating. "This is it. Told you I'd find it."

I look around at the place he brought us to. We crouch behind the bushes and observe a small camp set up with tents, campfires, and different work stations similar to the ones we had at the dropship. Grounders crowd the different areas, speaking their native language to one another without a care in the world. As if they didn't just lose dozens of their men.

"I see nothing but grounders," I say. "Our people aren't here."

"Wait a minute," Finn says, not yet convinced that this is a dead end. "They've got stuff from our dropship. So, maybe they know where our friends are."

"Or maybe they killed them already," Murphy says, rudely. It takes a lot of self control not to hit him with my gun.

"Son of a bitch," Something catches Finn's eyes.

"What is it?" I ask.

"The guy with one eye," Finn points ahead. I follow his finger and see a burly, heavyset guy walking around in a pound of clothing and an eye patch over his left eye. "Around his neck."

"What am I looking at?" I ask, still not understanding where this conversation was going.

"He's got Clarke's watch. It was her father's. She wouldn't give that up without a fight."

Now I understand. "Neither will we," I tell him. I begin to set up a plan. "You two, stay here, out of sight. This thing goes south, take out the other grounders, but don't shoot the grounder with the watch." I look between the four of them. "Copy?"

"Copy," They reply.

* * *

 **CASADY'S POV**

The laundry bin finally stops moving and the reapers leave us in silent terror. We come down from our high anxiety levels and fall out of the bin. We need to act fast before the reapers come back. Who knows what the hell they are capable of?

"Come on, this way," I wave my arm in the opposite direction that the reapers moved in, which was right where we came from.

"Hey, hey, what are you doing?" I hear Clarke ask. I turn to see Anya facing the way the reapers had left, the opposite direction in which we should be moving. "That's the way back to the Reapers."

"You go your way. I'll go mine," Anya responds. She is going back for her people.

"Anya, we need to stick together," Clarke says.

"I told you, there is no ' _we_ '," Anya seethes.

"I saved your life," Clarke points out.

Anya scoffs, "You saved my life because you need me. I know the way back to your people. I know where the traps are hidden. You'd never make it alone."

Time is ticking and in those scarce seconds that past by, I swear I can hear the chitter chatter of more reapers. "We don't have time for this," I say.

"Our best chance of making it out of here alive is together," Clarke says.

"Anya?" I say after a moment of silence. She turns back to look at me and through the glint in her eye, I can see she has made a decision.

She sprints in the direction of the reapers, flying down the tunnel's hallways. I don't scream after her, believing that Clarke and I can make it out of here without her. However, Clarke obviously does not feel this way because she screams after Anya and sprints towards her.

"Clarke, what the hell are you doing!?" I scream after her. Anya has made her choice and we have made ours. Why is she trying so hard to get Anya to follow us? Does she really not believe her and I can get out of here alone?

Clarke does not scream back at me. I can only hear her footprints becomes softer and softer and soon inaudible.

I have no choice but to run after her. It would be a dick move to let my sister go get herself killed for a grounder who couldn't give two shits about her well being.

"Clarke!" I scream. The sight in front of me is terrifying, and Anya isn't even here.

Reapers surround Clarke, clawing the air towards her direction, bouncing on all fours and getting ready to eat her up as their next meal. My shouts gain some of their attention and they realize another feast as arrived. Oh, great.

"No, no!" I scream, backing into the wall behind me. "Please." Why did I agree to this? Not only did Clarke get Bellamy killed, but now she's going to have me on her death list too. Why the hell did she have to follow after Anya? Where the hell even is Anya?

I shut my eyes as I prepare for the worst. However, these blood-sucking vultures stop short of making contact with any part of me. They back away, screaming and holding their ears. Their eyes are shut tight as they try to block out a high-pitched noise that comes from down the tunnel.

Three men walk through the tunnels in their mountain men trash suits. They hold flash lights and a small device that makes the sound that repels reapers. I need to get one of those.

"Get back! Get the hell away from her now!" One of the men scream at the reapers, moving them away from both Clarke and I.

I glance over at Clarke, making sure my eyes portray how I am feeling: pissed.

Another man speaks, "Clarke Griffin, Casady Lima, you're coming with us."

Behind the guards, I spot a thin figure creeping towards us. It's Anya.

* * *

 **BELLAMY'S POV:**

The five of us were able to work our way through the camp and secure the guy with the watch in a secret area where we were able to question the grounder and not worry about the volume of our voices.

I let Finn do all the talking since he's the most emotional about finding Clarke's watch on a complete stranger. I don't know how he has kept his composure for so long. If that were Octavia's or Casady's I would have killed the grounder already for not giving me the answers that I wanted.

"We're gonna do this again, and this time you're gonna stop screwing with us," Finn says. The grounder is strapped up to a chair in the depot that Finn and Clarke had found together. Finn holds up the watch again and gets closer to his face, "Where did you find this?"

The grounder glares, "I told you. I found it outside your camp."

"He's lying," Finn says, as if trying to convince me, "She would never take it off voluntarily."

"I know," I say. So I ask the grounder, "Where is the girl who was wearing this watch?"

"I never saw a girl," The grounder says.

"Another lie," Finn growls.

"I mean, maybe you should stop asking him nicely," Murphy scoffs like it was the most obvious suggestion in the world.

"Shut up, Murphy," Finn snaps before I can. Then, he asks more violently, "Where are our friends?"

"You took them," I add. "We know you did." The grounder stays quiets. "Just tell us where."

Again, the grounder doesn't answer. And it tests all of our patience.

"Murphy's right," Finn says, standing up straight. "We're wasting time." Finn pulls out his knife and slashes the grounder's face quickly, then repeats the act several times. Murphy nor myself stop him. He needed this. Just like I needed it when we kidnapped Lincoln after he took Octavia and Casady. Soon, the beatings become unbearable to watch. The grounder moans and groans in his seat. "Answer the question!"

"Hey," I shout, "Where's the girl who was wearing this bracelet?" As I watch, I think of Casady and Octavia and how they watched me beat the crap out of the grounder at the dropship. How uncomfortable they must have been as they watched me hurt someone so viciously like some kind of animal. It coursed a new kind of feeling through my skin as I see it from the other side. "Finn, Stop!" I yell abruptly. Finn stops and turns around to look at me with wide eyes. "You don't want to do this. Trust me. There are some lines you can't uncross."

Finn turns back to the grounder and uses his words, "Where's Clarke?" Unexpectantly, he takes out his gun and cocks it towards the grounder.

"Finn!" I scream.

"Back off!"

"Put down the gun, Finn!"

Finn, of course, does not listen to me, overtaken by his blinding rage, "3 seconds!" Finn threatens. "Two! One!"

At this point, I'm on the balls of my feet. I never thought Finn would pull the trigger on anyone, but now I am not so sure.

"Ok!" The grounder saves himself, finally. "I'll tell you. Your friends are east of here. The village where we take our prisoners of war."

"East? Where? How do we get to them?"

"I can draw you a map," The grounder says. "But you should hurry." I raise my eyebrows, unsure of what he means by that. He notices and explains further, "Soon, they'll outlive their usefulness."

"Get him something to draw a map," Finn orders. Monroe turns to find a piece of paper and a pencil.

The grounder draws us a fairly well-made map that will lead us to our friends. My heart jumps with a new jolt of anxiety at the new lead.

"Gather up the gear. We're leaving," Finn takes control of this group and starts gathering his shit.

"What about him?" I follow Sterling's hand that is pointed towards the grounder.

I look at the grounder and become washed with a feeling of guilt after thinking about what I did to Lincoln, "For now, we leave him. Deal with him when we're done."

"What if he escapes? He knows exactly where we're going."

"We're not killing him," I say.

"I'm not really seeing another option here," Murphy's voice raises. "If we don't take care of this now, this is gonna blow back on us and you know that."

"He's unarmed, Murphy!"

"He's a grounder!" Murphy looks at me like I've lost my mind. "He's gonna tell his people everything. We're as good as dead. Our friends, too."

I raise my voice like it's the first day we landed on the ground and I make all the rules. "We're not doing this. End of discussion. You want him, you gotta go through me."

Murphy scoffs at me. "And what exactly happened to you, huh? You're talking like you've never killed a grounder before."

"That was in battle," I reply. "This would be an execution."

Finn pushes past us, raises his gun, and blasts a single bullet between the grounder's eyes. The grounder falls to the floor dead, the rest of us are too stunned to move or say anything to Finn. "Let's move." He says, as if killing the grounder was nothing.

Murphy and I share look as do Sterling and Monroe. We're not traveling with the same Finn we met on the first day anymore.


	17. Many Happy Returns

**A/N: This chapter goes back and forth a lot between POVs. Sorry if you don't like that but I kinda do, so.**

 **Episode: Many Happy Returns**

* * *

How the hell Anya was able to get Clarke and I away from the Mountain Men guards after we were so close to getting arrested, I will never know. Those moments where Anya took down three of those guards is just unbelievable to me and I feel like I owe her a big chunk of my life. But don't get me wrong, I still hate her.

Now, Anya has been leading us down this path that she says she knows. She obviously got a lot farther than we did. She already has the tunnel memorized.

"Anya, we've been walking for hours," Clarke says. I don't know why she is complaining. This was all her idea.

"Where are we going?" I ask.

"Quiet," Anya glares at the two of us.

"Why not just kill us already?" I finally ask. She has proved to us that she could, and she's made it obvious that she's not our number one fan either.

"You can tell the commander what the mountain men are doing to us in there," She answers.

"So let's work together," Clarke says, "We don't have to be enemies."

"And unite with someone as weak as you?" Anya scoffs, and her face scrunches as if she had just smelled something foul. "I have what I need." She turns back around.

"Hey," Clarke calls after her. "We both want the same thing."

Anya gets ready to respond but the sound of distant male shouting from the other end of the tunnel cuts her off. We freeze in our spot, listening closely to the voices that will haunt my dreams for the next couple of days.

"Get down," Anya says, "They've found us."

* * *

 **BELLAMY'S POV**

The gunshot was a warning—a warning that this new Finn is going to be brutal until he finds Clarke. I don't know where he and Clarke left their relationship, but the worry is going to literally kill him, or get himself killed. Don't get me wrong, I miss Casady too and I can't sleep throughout the night without waking up because of a nightmare that something bad has happened to her. However, I've learned throughout my entire life how to deal with stress appropriately and that's through self-control: something my mother taught me well.

"Everyone, eyes peeled. We're in Grounder territory," I tell them.

"Everything is Grounder territory, all right?" Murphy groans. He glances at Finn, who isn't paying attention, and leans in closer to me. "I can't keep running. We don't even know if the guy Finn killed was telling the truth."

For a second, I actually feel sympathy for Murphy.

"Keep moving," Finn says ahead of us, not sparing us a glance.

"We can give him a minute," I even surprise myself as I defend Murphy against Finn.

"No, we can't," Finn turns around. "You heard what the Grounder said. 'They'll outlive their usefulness'."

"I heard what he said when you had a gun to his head," I say. I'm starting to think the grounder just said whatever he thought would save him. Too bad nothing he could've said would have saved him.

"Look, you think I wanted to do that? He would have told his people we're coming, and by the time we got there, our people would be dead. Maybe that's something you can live with, but I can't!"

"Hey, you did what you think you had to do, but you are not yourself right now, and I can't be out here with another loose cannon."

We reach a dry, rocky area with a cliff that overlooks nothing but a grey sky. The flies buzz more than usual. I wonder why until I see that another part of the ark has fallen this way and they're gathering over two dead bodies that are on a landing off of the cliff.

"It's a rough landing," Murphy observes.

"There's nothing we can do for these people," Finn says, quickly, not even taking a chance to consider observing some more, maybe finding survivors. "We got to go."

Murphy and I roll our eyes, but decided not to fight against him. Well…that is until we hear a woman's whimper from over the cliff.

"Did you hear that?" Murphy asks me.

I rush to the voice, hoping to find either Octavia or Casady. Unfortunately it is neither of those two, but a young woman about my age hanging on to a branch that sticks out from the side of the cliff.

"Hey, someone's down there!" I call back to my group. Monroe and Sterling have been so quiet; sometimes I forget that they're here.

"Hey! Please, help me!" She cries. God knows how long she's been hanging there. She could fall at any moment.

"Mel?" Sterling scrunches his eyebrows as he peers over the cliff.

"You know her?" I ask.

"She's my friend. We have to do something," Sterling pleads. He looks at me with fear gathered in his eyes. He knows I wont say no, but Finn might.

"Help me!" Mel continues to cry.

"We can't stop," Finn says like an asshole.

"This isn't a grounder, Finn," I say.

"We have a rope," Murphy says, thinking of ways to get down to her.

"You saw her," Finn defends, "She'd never be able to hold on to it. We'd have to lower somebody down. It'll take time that we don't have." My face doesn't change, which makes Finn sigh and his eyes become softer. "I hate this as much as you…"

"I know," I run a hand down my face. "I…I know. Okay, I know."

"Just hold on!" Sterling calls. I turn my back and find that Sterling has already wrapped himself with rope, and gets a lead in jumping off the cliff for this girl. "Just hold on Mel!"

"Sterling!" She cries after him.

"Wait, Sterling!" Finn shouts.

"I can't hang on," Mel shouts.

Murphy turns around, a small smirk on his face, "Well, it looks like we're taking that break after all, huh?"

"I'm almost there," Sterling lowers himself even more down the cliff. Leaving the both of them here would be the wrong thing to do - well maybe not in Finn's head. Sterling yells up to us, "Once I have her, pull us up!"

"Well, I'd say he's heard one too many of your motivational speeches," Murphy says to me. The comment sounds like one that Casady would make and it tugs at my heart.

"Shut up, Murphy," I say.

Next thing I hear is struggling and rope untangling from itself. I rush to the side of the cliff in time to see Sterling fall out of his rope swing and Mel screaming her lungs out at the sight of her friend falling to his death.

"Sterling! Sterling!" I call out to him. Like I expected, he doesn't respond. My eyes find the screaming, whimpering, and panicking girl. If she doesn't calm down, she's going to lose her grip. "Mel! Mel, hold on." She continues to cry. "Focus on me. You can do this!"

"Oh, no!" she cries harder.

"Yes, you can. You're strong," I flash back to my younger years, talking like this to Octavia when she would have mental breakdowns about being trapped under the floor when all she would want to do is step outside of our cramped up cabin.

"I'm not strong! Stubborn, maybe."

"So be stubborn a little longer!" I respond. "Stubbornness is my sister's and girlfriend's biggest character trait. I'm the best at dealing with stubbornness, okay?" I say trying to ease some light in this situation.

"No wonder they're best friends," Murphy comments.

I don't give him the time of day to turn around. "I'm not going to let you die, you hear me?"

"Okay," Mel nods her head, tears falling off her face and onto the world below her.

"We're out of rope," Monroe says.

"So we make a new one," I instruct. Monroe and Murphy look through rubble to find any kind of line that could be used to harness me down there.

Finn stands back with his arms crossed making no effort to help this poor girl. "If anything happens to our friends, when we could—"

"We don't know if we can save our friends," I cut him off, coming to the harsh conclusion no one wants to admit to. "For all we know, they may be dead already. We've all thought it. But what we do know is we could save this one girl." I point to the cliff. "Sterling was one of us. She was his friend."

Finn's jaw clenches. "How do we do it?"

"We make new rope from the wreckage. Go find wires, seatbelts, anything."

"I hope you're right about this."

"So do I," I admit.

* * *

 **CASADY'S POV:**

The three of us take off in a sprint. We've made it out of the tunnel. The feel of fresh air against my face makes me want to fall over and cry. I never knew how much I was going to miss being outside.

It isn't until after all the adrenaline stops pumping through my ears that I still hear the reapers. They've been following us this entire time, never taking a break.

"How are they still following us?" I pant. I feel the beads of sweat gather at my hairline, my rough and uneven breathing echos off the walls, and my heartbeat is pacing faster than ever.

"Because of you," Anya sneers at me. She stops running and turns in the direction of the reapers. I watch her as if she had just grown to heads. "Time to end this."

"Anya, I am stepping where you step," I defend myself. I'm not going to let my self get beat down by this woman. Not anymore. "I'm covered in mud. We're not leaving a trail."

"They're following something," She says.

"They're not following us," Clarke says. Anya and I raise our eyebrows like she just said the dumbest thing in the entire world. "They're tracking us. Search yourself." Anya and I start patting our clothes down. Well…I do the best that I can. Anya saved us from the Mountain Men Guards after they had already tied our hands together. And now, Anya finds that it is a good idea to keep them on. "If I'm right, it should feel like a…a small bump just under your skin."

Anya stops searching. Her hand hovers over the small bump in her forearm. Clarke stops too, noticing Anya's bump too.

"Oh, it's you," I say.

"Ok, I could remove it, but you need to untie my hands," Clarke offers, holding out her hands for Anya to do something. "I just need something sharp and sterile—"

"Oh my god," I whisper.

Anya, now known as the craziest person I know, bites through her skin and rips out the tracking device with her teeth, moaning and groaning here and there. She spit the device out and wipes away the blood that is smeared on her cheek with the back of her wrist.

"I will not go back there," Anya says, turning around and continuing on our trek as if nothing had just happened.

Clarke and I look at each with big eyes, and fearful frowns. _Great going, Clarke. You chose the biggest psycho to take with us on our road to freedom._

* * *

 **BELLAMY'S POV:**

I follow the plan Sterling once had; lowering himself down the cliff with a harness until he reaches Mel and have the others pull both of them up. This time, I take Sterling's place once we had enough seat belts. Ironically, I'm trusting Murphy with my life. Well, Finn and Monroe too but I never really had a problem with either of those two.

Now, I'm hanging off of a cliff, clutching on to nothing but rope. There is nothing more I can hang on too, nothing but rope.

"Just hang on," I'm being lowered inch by inch. I push the anxiety building up in my body to the side so I can focus. "I'm almost there," I grunt, almost at arm's length. "It's ok. I got you. I got you. Just put your arms around me."

She assess the thought of letting go of the branch and shakes her head, "I can't."

"Yes, you can. It's ok. This will hold. I'll get you up I promise." More closely, I can see the fear in her eyes, the whiteness of her knuckles as she clutches on for dear life. "Ok?"

She whimpers, listening to my words and nods her head. "Ok. Ok."

In a quick motion, she wraps two arms around me. The rope feels a lot tighter around my waist with the added weight. I grunt as I get a firm grip on her and yell up, "I got her! Pull us up!"

"Don't you worry, Bellamy. I won't drop you," Murphy's voice calls from above.

I roll my eyes, "Just pull, Murphy!"

While Mel and I wait, we listen to the pained screams coming from on top of the cliff as Murphy struggles to pull us both up. "Come on! A little help!"

The rope gives out, jolting us even further down the cliff. Mel's fingernails dig into my shoulders. I bite my lip to stop myself from showing any pain. Followed by the jolt, Murphy screams painfully.

"What the hell is happening up there?" I yell.

"Just hold on!" Murphy shouts.

"Grounders!" Monroe hollers. "Cover!"

"How many are there?" I call.

"We can't see 'em!" Finn shouts.

"In the trees! In the trees!" I hear Murphy call. "In the trees! Aim for the trees!"

Above us, there is a bunch of chaos. Groans, grunts, shouting, and threats echo throughout the empty abyss. I hear Monroe shriek. Then Finn calling out orders. Then my heartbeat beating out of my ears.

"Bellamy," Murphy shouts, "you got to cut her loose!"

Mel cries harder.

I look down at the terrified girl, "No way!"

"Cut her loose!"

A foghorn shuts everyone up. I freeze, hearing nothing but falling pebbles and the deep sound waves of the warning call for my death. Crap, just what we need. Acid fog.

"Monroe, get back on the rope!" Murphy shouts. "Come on!"

Mel and I slowly start moving up the cliff as the crew works together in pulling us up as quickly as possible. As soon as my ass hits the ground, I let out a breath I never knew I was holding.

Mel collapses, crying into the ground saying, "Thank you, thank you."

"We have to take cover from the fog," I order. Time is ticking, and I don't know if we'll find cover in time.

"Bellamy," A familiar voice that I have not heard in so long says.

My head snaps towards her direction, finding Octavia standing there. Her hair is pulled back in braids, her clothes are different, her face is dirty, she's wearing gloves and holding a foghorn in her hand.

"No we don't," Murphy says from next to me, holding Mel, "She blew the horn."

"Octavia," I say breathlessly.

* * *

 **CASADY'S POV:**

"Anya, you're still bleeding," Clarke says as her and I trail behind Anya. "At least let me bandage it before it gets infected."

I roll my eyes. Clarke has been trying to reason with this woman for about an hour, and Anya does nothing but ignore us. I don't know why she wouldn't just give up already. It's pathetic.

"We can find our own way home now," I stop walking, narrowing my eyes, tired of this bullshit. I just want to get back to the dropship, see the damage done to my home and deal with it. I hate the anticipation.

Anya actually makes the effort to turn around and glare at me, "Looks like you're my prisoner now."

In the distance, the sounds of galloping rings through our ears. Our eyebrows scrunch in confusion as we think of why we might be hearing horses. Anya is the only one who looks like she knows what's going on. Her eyes are big and she freezes in her spot.

"You must go! Quick!" She says.

"Oh so now you want us to go," I sass her, although it sounds like she might be helping us here.

Anya grunts as she pulls Clarke and I by our bound wrists, "Come with me! Come with me!" She takes us to crouch behind rocks and bushes where we peer over to look at the grounders on horses. "There. Look at the ridge."

"Who are they?" I ask.

"Bad men. They're coming for you," Anya says, her eyes never leaving the 'bad men'. "No one comes to the dead zone. They must have seen you fall from the sky." She finally rips her eyes away to look at us. "You have to run, now."

"If they expect to finds us, what happens to you if they don't?" Clarke asks.

"Go! Go before they see you. We can take care of ourselves," Anya says.

I want to say something back at her. She basically is saying grounders can handle themselves but we cannot. I was ready to fight, but Clarke grabs my wrist, reading my mind, and stopping me to focus on what's really important. And that is getting the hell out of here.

* * *

 **BELLAMY'S POV:**

I can't take my eyes off of Octavia and her transformation. She has grown into an adult since the last time I've seen her. She looks older, stronger, and more confident. Suddenly, I'm missing the 10 year-old girl whose eyes would light up every time I walked into the room. I miss the young girl who needed me to protect her against silly and non silly things. And now I'm staring into the eyes of a woman who can take care of herself.

I should be off to the side looking at Monroe's leg, which has an arrow sticking out of it. But I'm afraid that if I take my eyes off of Octavia again, she'll be gone…again.

"Thank god you came when you did," Octavia says, stepping closer to me. "I was going back to camp when I heard shots." She has a grin on her face. An actual grin! She's happy which means wherever she was, she was being taken care of.

"Nice foghorn," Murphy comments from his place next to Monroe. "What happened to your boyfriend?"

"He's gone," And just like that her grin disappears. She looks at each individual that surround us, then her eyebrows scrunch. "Where's Casady?"

I was afraid she was going to ask that, but I'm even more frustrated that I can't tell her where Casady is. Throughout the months we've been on the ground, I've seen the bond that Octavia and Casady have, and I've watched them become even closer every day. I'm grateful O found a friend when she was locked up. It was probably her first friend ever.

"O…" I whisper, unsure of what to say. Thinking about how we actually don't know where Casady is makes me grow angry but also depressed and I don't want that to show in front of my sister. I want to be strong for her when she finds out that Casady is missing.

Octavia reads my facial expression and starts shakign her head in denial, "No no no no no," She walks closer to me, waving her hand dismissively. "She's not—"

"No," I cut her off, knowing exactly where her mind was taking her. "No, she's not…I mean we don't think—"

"At this point they might be dead," Finn has his arms folded as he stands a couple feet away from everybody. I glare his way.

Octavia looks at me, afraid. I try and clear things up, "We haven't seen her, Clarke, or the others since the attack. We've been looking for days, but we finally got a lead."

"Bellamy, if anything happens to her…" Octavia says with her teeth clenched. She stops herself from talking before any tears can gather in her eyes.

"We're going to find her," I promise.

Octavia takes a deep breath and looks away. "The grounders will be back, so we need to go, now."

"Yes, we do," Finn exasperates as if someone just said the one thing he agrees with.

"Octavia says the arrow might be poisoned," I say, glancing at Monroe and Mel. "I have to take them home."

"Parting," Murphy smirks. "Such sweet sorrow, right?"

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" I stop Murphy from walking away from me. I brought him here with me so I figured he was going to stay with me.

"Come on, Bellamy. You know if I go with you, they'll just lock me up again."

I nod my head and indicate towards Finn with my eyes, "Watch his back." Murphy nods.

"You're leaving?" Finn glares at me and scoffs. "What about Casady? You're giving up?"

"No," I glare right back at him. Rage flows through me as he disses my overwhelming concern for my girlfriend. "But I sure as hell know you're not going to help her. Hell, you weren't even going to help save her, and Murphy can help you. Octavia and I will help Mel to camp and I will come find you later." Finn shakes his head, having no care for my explanation. I don't even bother fighting him. I turn back to Octavia and say, "I can't get them home without you."

Octavia smirks, letting her worried expression wash away for a moment. "Of course you can't. Let's go."

* * *

 **CASADY'S POV:**

We never got rid of Anya. For some reason that I will never know, Clarke had this bright plan to make Anya stay with us.

We reached the dropship in the midst of our journey only to find no one there. Instead, we find a note written by Clarke's mother with coordinates. All Clarke could think about was how her mother was actually alive. She was supposed to be dead on the exodus ship. So to see that her mother was still alive, was very overwhelming to her.

After Clarke has her moment, she rushes Anya and I to the destination of the coordinates. There is definitely bickering that goes on between Anya and I throughout our voyage, but we managed to not kill each other. And that is improvement.

We approach the coordinates. There is a large electric fence made out of barb wire that surrounds more wreckage from the Ark. However, this wreckage is survivable. I can hear orders being shouted out by the guards, kids playing around with each other, and the clanking of metal against metal.

"I'm letting you go," Anya says while Clarke and I pause to breathe in our new reality that is right in front of us.

Clarke turns around to stare, "I'm not weak, but I'm not like you. Our only chance against Mount Weather is if we fight together."

I can't believe I am saying this but, "Clarke's right." She is right. I've been listening to the same argument for past 12 hours and it is starting to make sense to me. "To beat them, we'll need our technology and your knowledge of this world. I know our people will help. The question is, will yours?"

"The commander was my second," Anya replies. "I can get an audience." Looks like Clarke has finally convinced her too.

"Please hurry," Clarke says.

Anya starts to walk away when several gunshots go off. Clarke and I duck for cover on instinct after hearing guns being fired, but Anya goes down with a grunt.

"Anya!" Clarke screams. She army crawls her away over to where Anya's limp body lays on the ground. "Ah!" She screams as more bullets shoot by her, luckily missing her.

A flaming hot sensation that quickly turns into a horrible sting cuts through my waist on the right side. I clutch the area with white knuckles and scream, "Son of a bitch!"

"Casady!" Clarke screams.

I look down at my waist, expecting the worst. However, it is really not that bad, it just hurts like a mofo.

"Ah, don't worry. It's just a graze, but it hurts like a bitch," I take a deep breath and try not to focus on it. "How's Anya doing?" I can't believe I just asked about Anya's well being.

"She's dead," Clarke gasps.

My heart stops as our best chance of getting our people out of Mount Weather turns into dust. Lifeless dust.


	18. Human Trials

**A/N: Hi I really like this chapter and I hope you do too!**

 **Episode: Human Trials**

* * *

 **CASADY'S POV**

Guards walk through the tall thick grass, following the sounds of our shouts. Clarke has moved away from Anya who lays lifeless in the dirt. I never thought I would feel bad if something were to happen to her. But here I am, disappointed that she's dead.

Clarke looks at the wound above my hip. It really is no big deal; it just feels like a really bad burn. Luckily I wasn't actually shot. She wipes some of the blood away with her tear soaked hand.

The guards of the Ark come to us with loud voices, screaming out threats as if we were harmful. One of them rips Clarke away from me causing her fingernails to scrape against the graze. I flinch back and my back hits something hard. I turn around to see it's the gun help by a guard. Oh how I didn't miss them!

Clarke and I don't bother fighting them. However, I do make sure to give a little struggle just to make it harder for the guards.

"Open the gate!" Some calls from inside our new secure home. "Let's go!"

This is not the nice warm welcome I was expecting.

We walk through the gates with at least 50 pairs of eyes, staring the two of us down as if we're foreign creatures of the Earth. Don't they recognize at least one of us? At least Clarke?

"We need to get them to medical!" Another calls out. I'm being pushed so hard that I almost trip over my own feet. However, the guard holds me back, gripping my arm so hard I'm sure there will be a bruise.

"Move! Move!"

"Wait," A woman, maybe in her forties with light brunette hair and stress wrinkles, pushes her way through the gawking crowd. I stop walking when I meet her eyes. This is Clarke's mother.

"Once the prisoners are secured," The guard holding me tells her.

"They're not prisoners," Abby says. "They're my daughters."

 _They're? As in both of us?_ The blood drains from my face at just the thought of being related to this woman, and to think that my mother wasn't actually my mother this entire time.

Thinking back on it, I always had this feeling that something didn't add up between me and my parents. My mother and father had darker skin and brown eyes. I have fair skin and blue eyes. My mother's hair was long, dark, and curly. Mine is blonde and straight.

Although I don't see much resemblance of myself in Abby, I have never met her husband. I know that he was floated before Clarke was arrested. So maybe I look like him.

"Mom?" Clarke starts to cry at the sight of her mother; the mother she thought was killed on the Exodus ship.

The guards take us to the medical center in what they call 'Camp Jaha' in memory of Chancellor Jaha who stayed back on the Ark to make sure that the rest of his people make it to Earth safely.

Abby takes a look at my waist and orders her assistant, Jackson, to get saline and pressure dressing.

I haven't said a word to her yet. The thought of being her daughter glues my mouth shut, and all I can do is take in every detail of her; the way she looks, acts, moves, etc.

"I saw your ship crash," Clarke says softly.

"I wasn't on it," Abby says. She then moves to cup Clarke's cheek softly in her hand. "I'm right here."

"Are they alright?" A woman guard walks into medical, ruining Clarke's and Abby's reuniting moment.

Abby takes her hand away and grins to the guard, "They will be."

"I'm sorry ma'am. We had no idea who they were," The guard turns to Clarke and I and asks, "Where have you been?"

"Mount Weather," I croak. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Abby glance my way. I refuse the eye contact attempt.

"The Grounders took you to Mount Weather?"

"No," I shake my head. "The Mountain Men."

"Our friends are still there," Clarke says. "We have to get them out."

Abby turns to the guard and says, "We're not doing this right now."

The guard presses her lips into a thin line and reluctantly nods her head, "Yes, ma'am."

The guard exits Medical, leaving us alone with each other. The silence following it is deafening. No one wants to address the elephant in the room.

"Did anyone else make it here?" Clarke clears her throat.

"Yes," Abby nods. "Six of you did."

"Finn?" Clarke asks. Abby nods her head, and a grin spreads across Clarke's lips. "I thought he was dead." I bite back the vile that's building in my throat. Of course her boyfriend gets to live, but mine has to die. I know that is a terrible thing to say, but I'm just being bitter right now. I love Finn and it would hurt to know he didn't make it out alive. But I also miss Bellamy. "I thought you were dead." Clarke cries. "I thought you were dead."

"Not me," Abby replies, giving Clarke a tight hug. "I'm right here."

Later that day, Clarke falls asleep after her mother bandaged us up. I, on the other hand, can't close my eyes without being reminded of our past couple of days. So I open my eyes, too afraid to even fall asleep and face the nightmares.

Abby seems to notice since she refuses to leave the room so she can keep an eye on Clarke and I.

"Casady?" Abby says. I finally meet her eyes, feeling myself being drawn into them, "Are you feeling okay?"

"Oh, yeah, um," I'm speaking to my actual mother right now. The woman I thought was just a great doctor is actually my mother, and I'm at a loss for words about it. "I just can't fall asleep."

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asks. I bite back a humorless laugh. _It._ I wonder what _it_ she's talking about. _It_ being the reason I can't sleep or _it_ being my change in mothers.

When I first learned that I had a sister and that my family life was never what I thought it was, I walked with it. I understood why Abby had to give me away to another family in order to protect her and myself (or Clarke) from being floated. Because in a way, she saved my life. But now, I feel bitterness over the fact that she chose Clarke over me, which is stupid, I know, but I can't help but wonder how much better my life would have been with her.

"I know how confusing this all is to you right now," Abby says. I look up and narrow my eyes. How the hell does she know what I'm going through right now? She doesn't. "But I've made sure that I have kept my eye on you throughout your entire life. I've watched out for you all 17 years of your life. And I have always loved you as much as I love Clarke."

This time I don't bite back the humorless laugh and it comes out as a snort. "Wow."

Abby sighs, "I know you may not believe me but—"

"I don't," I cut her off. This is what I was afraid of…a bad start. "Because if you did watch out for me throughout my entire life and if you cared, you would have saved me years ago."

"Saved you from what?"

I take a deep breath, "My dad."

"Rick?" Abby shakes her head in disbelief. "Rick is a good man and a great guard. Jake and I made sure of that before we gave him full custody of our daughter."

"Well then I guess your research was inconclusive." I remove my left arm from the sleeve of my shirt and lift that arm over my head to show a small diagonal scar. I remember revealing this scar to Bellamy when I heard that my dad would be coming down to Earth on the Exodus ship. "He gave me this because I took a nap instead of cleaning our cabin." Abby's lips press into a thin line. "I was eleven." I put my arm back in my shirt. I wait a couple moments for Abby to speak. When she doesn't, I say, "Look, I'm going to try my best to accept this new family that I've been given. I've just never been a family person, so I don't know whether this is a blessing or a curse and I need time to process it especially now that I know you're alive."

Abby listens to my words and eventually nods her head.

And perfect timing, Clarke wakes up from her nap. I can tell by the way she groans and stretches that she has been awake for a while and was just eavesdropping on our conversation. I don't mind though. It is what it is.

Abby rushes over to her daughter, "Hey, how're you doing?"

Clarke clears her throat. The pin on her mothers jacket catches her eye. She runs her thumb over the shiny gold and scrunches her eyebrows, "Wait, you?"

I narrow my eyes to see that Abby is wearing the chancellor's pin. My face softens as I come to a realization. _I'm the new Wells._

"Yeah," she says. "Thelonious didn't make it, and Kane left two days ago to try to make peace with the Grounders to get you and the others back."

"I told you. The Grounders don't have us." I say.

"How long have I been asleep?" Clarke asks.

"About ten hours," Abby says. Clarke does not like the sound of that and she pushes herself off of the bed. Abby is quick to slow her down, putting her hand on her shoulders and restricting any kind of movement. "Oh, hey, Clarke, slow down. Hey. It's too soon."

"Mom, we need to move against Mount Weather," Clarke says. "How many guards are here? Where's Finn?"

"Clarke, please. You need to rest."

"I don't need to rest. I'm fine. And I don't need you to protect me. What I need is to save my friends."

"Ma'am," The same woman guard from before, Byrne, walks in, "Movement in the North woods."

"Grounders?" Abby asks.

"I don't think so," Byrne says.

At the sound of that, I rush out of Medical, ignoring the disapproving shouts of Abby.

Outside, Raven stands with the crowd who are also waiting for the next people to make their way into Camp Jaha. When we make eye contact, her and I embrace each other in an overdo hug.

"I've been waiting outside of Medical all night to see you and Clarke," Raven says. "Abby said you needed sleep."

"Abby should have let you through because I didn't get any sleep at all last night," I tell her. I look down at the brace wrapped around her leg and remember the bullet threatening her mobility caused by John Murphy. "Raven, that…"

"Sucks, but I'm dealing with it," Raven forces a smile.

"Open the gate!" Byrne orders.

A loud buzz erupts throughout the camp as the electric gate opens up. I hold my breath, praying that the people walking into this camp are friends of mine. I pray that I get back another friend.

I push my way to the front row of the crowd. The guards block my point of view from the people as they hold out their hands, taking away their weapons.

Then, my breath hitches when a familiar mop of dark brunette curls steps away from the guards. "Oh my god," I whisper.

I can see Raven's mouth open slightly as she glances between me and Bellamy, "You didn't know he was alive. You thought he was dead," Raven says it as if she is just realizing it.

Bellamy's eyes don't find mine. He's looking at the two people next to him. And when I see them, my heart drops to the pit of my stomach. Octavia.

Bellamy looks up and I can see his face more definably. His face is sprayed with dirt and sweat. His clothes cling (perfectly) to his chest. I tell myself I can hear his heart beating. His perfectly, healthy heart. His beating heart. He's not dead. My boyfriend is not dead.

The second we make eye contact, the world freezes around me, and it's just Bellamy and I. I don't even hear my panting, or feel the tears escape my eyes. Then, it takes me a while to process that the man I knew as once dead is lifting me off the ground, holding me so tight, crying into my shoulder, and whispering "oh my gods" in my ear.

I fist his T-Shirt in my right hand while the other one grazes through his hair. He smells the same, like smoke, sweat and pine.

We finally pull away from each other to examine each other's faces, like if we look away we won't be there anymore. His large hands cup my cheeks. I close my eyes, breathing in the familiar feeling.

"You're alive," I breathe.

"And you're okay," he runs his thumb over my cheek. His other hand skims my side. I forget about the graze until his hand reaches it. I flinch away, hissing in pain as the wound starts to burn. He steps away and lets his hand hovers. "What happened?"

I shake my head, "These guards have bad aim, that's all."

"The—" Bellamy looks like he is about to freak out until Clarke comes into view, diverting his attention elsewhere.

"Bellamy," Clarke says. Bellamy takes a deep breath and his eyes go wide when he sees my sister.

"Casady," Octavia's voice snaps my head in her direction.

Her smile is so big, her hair is pulled back in a half up half down do. Her eyes are darker because she wears more makeup. She looks so grown up, older than me even.

I run over to my best friend. We giggle and turn and clutch on to each other for dear life. This is my best friend. This is _my_ best friend.

"Look at you," I say after pulling away to look her up and down. "You look so…"

"Good?" She smirks,

"Fantastic," I giggle back.

"Where are the others?" Abby's piercing voice rips through the crowd towards Bellamy.

Octavia and I frown slowly. We stalk closer to Abby and Bellamy, me being intrigued, and Octavia being protective.

"There are no others," the girl that Octavia and Bellamy brought back answers. Her name is Mel. I recognize her from Factory Station.

"Found her a day from here," Bellamy explains. "No survivors. Lots of supplies."

"Get her to medical," Abby indicates towards Mel.

Bellamy wraps his hands around my hip, careful not to touch my graze. I bite my lip to hide my smile, and tilt my head to rest it against his shoulder.

"How many are with you?" Bellamy asks Clarke.

"None," I answer for her, looking to Clarke. I never thought about it before, but if she were to show Jasper and Monty what the Mountain Men were doing to the grounders, we could have gotten them to come with us too.

"Where's Finn?" Clarke asks, changing the subject.

Bellamy hesitates to answer, and I feel his grip around me becoming tighter. "Looking for you."

Abby, or should I say the new Chancellor, calls out a council meeting later in the day to discuss search party plans. And I'd be damned if I was not sitting in on that meeting. Clarke and Bellamy have the same mindset as me as we fight Abby into letting us in to their conference room.

The meeting is met with Abby, me, Clarke, Bellamy, Byrne, Sinclair, and other members of the guard.

As soon as Clarke and I start advocating ideas of how to get our friends out of Mount Weather, the guards—Byrne mostly, turns down our ideas in a heartbeat.

"We know nothing about these people in Mount Weather," Byrne tries to reason. "Their numbers, their capabilities. We need to proceed carefully."

"According to Clarke," Sinclair begins. "The 46 still inside are not being harmed, at least not yet." I roll my eyes, knowing where this was going. "Now, I hate to leave them there, but if she's right, we have some time."

"No, we don't have time. The Mountain Men are going to start doing whatever the hell they're doing to the grounders to our people. We don't actually know how much time we have that's why we can't waste it," I argue.

"Ah, I missed her temper," I hear Bellamy say quietly to Clarke from behind me. I resist the urge to roll my eyes and keep my gaze on the old people in the room.

"Okay," Abby says. "We gather intel on Mount Weather and we send a team after Kane." Abby then looks directly to me before I can open my mouth, "He needs to know that the grounders don't have those kids."

"What about Finn Collins and John Murphy?" Byrne asks.

"You can't just cut them loose," Clarke steps up to the plate, giving the council her own argument.

"Sweetheart," Abby says, "We don't have the manpower to send out two separate rescue missions and protect our camp."

"Mom, they're in trouble," Clarke defends. I agree with Clarke on this one, but I let her take this up with her—our mother.

I step back into the comfort of Bellamy's warmth, uncomfortable in the direction of where this argument is going. It's going Abby's way. It always goes the adults' way.

Clarke continues, "They're either gonna get themselves killed or they're gonna make things worse with the grounders, who we need to get our people out of Mount Weather."

Abby sighs, "I know you feel this is unfair. But our priority has to be Chancellor Kane if there is any hope for peace."

"That's bullcrap!" I exclaim.

"Casady!" Abby's eyes go wide at my outburst. The others, beside Bellamy and Clarke, look shocked too.

"No! If you wanted peace, you shouldn't have killed the only grounder who was gonna help us."

Abby bites her tongue, "I'm sorry. The decision's been made."

Bellamy steps up to the plate, "You're sorry? Finn and Murphy are out there looking for your daughters with guns you gave us, and now they're home, you're just going to abandon them?" I narrow my eyes at Abby and the others, trying to get a good read on their faces. "If you can't spare the guards, we know the terrain, we have a map. We can do it ourselves."

"Absolutely not," Abby says like that's the stupidest idea she has ever heard.

"Mom!" Clarke shouts.

"I just got you back," Abby pleads with Clarke to just shut up and listen to her.

Clarke may fall for the eyes, but I have never fallen for that. Abby may have just gotten Clarke back, but she's never had me.

"Abby," Jackson, Abby's medical assistant, interrupts the meeting, respectfully. And at this point, it's probably a good idea that he did. "I'm sorry. We need you in medical."

"You better go," Clarke sneers.

Abby nods and turns to the guard, "Byrne? No one leaves this camp."

Let me tell you one thing. I did not miss being bossed around by the old people.

* * *

Clarke, Bellamy, and I hold our own meeting with Octavia and Raven far away from any adult.

"We're gonna need guns," I tell them, eyeing Raven because if anyone can get them to us, it's her.

"I scored you a couple extra clips," Raven nods.

I smirk, "Of course you did."

"My mom's in surgery," Clarke says, "and the team going after Kane just left. We should too."

Bellamy licks his lips and glances over at his little sister nervously. He's afraid to let her come, afraid they might get separated again. At this point in her life, Octavia can read his mind like a expert.

"I'm not letting you leave here without me," Octavia scoffs.

"Octavia…" Clarke says slowly.

"No, Octavia should be able to come," I defend my best friend. She's not some inexperienced shy little girl anymore. She clearly shows that just by the way she looks.

"Finn and Murphy are headed for Lincoln's village," Octavia narrows her eyes. "I've been there. Have you?" Octavia turns to look at Bellamy. "Has she?"

Bellamy smirks, "You done?"

Octavia shuts up and bites her top lip, realizing she may have over used her dramatics.

Bellamy hands her a pack. It's black and bulky. Octavia eyes it in her hands and asks, "What's this?"

"Your pack."

She smiles. "Lead the way," Octavia says.

"Whoa. Not so fast, Pocahontas," Raven holds out her hand to stop Octavia.

We all eye her, confused. Raven picks up a wooden stick and tosses it into the electric fence. The fence buzzes to life and chars the stick.

"I thought you said it was handled," Clarke says.

"It is," Raven says. She pulls out a pocket-sized radio and clicks it to life. "Shut her down, Wick." A second later, there was a light beep. That beep put a smile on Raven's face. She nods to herself and says, "Handled."

The four of us make our plan to set out. Raven is going to stay back, saying that the leg will only slow her down and that she's needed at Camp Jaha for engineering purposes. I also think it's a good idea to have someone on our side stay back at camp to hear what's going on.

Clarke and Bellamy will no doubt take the lead while Octavia and I walk behind. I don't know whether it's an older sibling protective thing they've got going on or it's their leadership like personality.

We break apart. Clarke and Bellamy go one way (much to my disappointment), and Octavia and I the other. Although I'm sad that Bellamy wants to go over strategies with Clarke than hang out with me, it makes good time for Octavia and I to catch up.

"So," Octavia starts, "How was meeting Abby for the first time?"

I sigh and answer quietly enough so Clarke can't overhear. "It could have gone better. I just don't know how much I trust her right now."

"And Clarke?" Octavia asks. I look at her, confused. "I can feel tension between the two of you, that's all."

"I don't know, O. I really don't know what's going on between her and I right now. She just doesn't listen to me, or to anyone for that matter. She's always the one that has to make the plans because she thinks that her plans are always the right ones. She thinks way too quickly, and it cost us Jasper and Monty."

Octavia's face drops, "You mean—"

"No, no, no, no," I quickly shut down her worst thoughts. "They're okay. I'm just thinking that we could have gotten them out with us if Clarke hadn't just acted before thinking."

"I've always thought that," Octavia smirks, "From the first day, I knew she was going to be a pain in the ass but a necessary pain in the ass."

"How was Lincoln?" I ask, changing the conversation from me to her.

Octavia's smirk slowly fades away. "He saved my life, Cass. I owe him everything. And…" a genuine smile, that I have not seen in a very long time, lights up her face. "I love him, Casady. I would do anything for him."

For once in a long time, we have a girly moment; giggling and hugging over boys. And feeling like little teenagers again.

"I'm so happy for you," I say, after releasing her from a hug.

Our conversation seems to end when we hear Bellamy's and Clarke's distant voices become not so distant anymore. We follow the sounds of their voice to find them in deep conversation.

"I'll sleep when we find Finn," I hear Bellamy say.

I walk next to Bellamy and grab his hand, holding it tightly in my own. He squeezes back, a simple action I didn't know I missed so much.

He continues, "You haven't seen him, Clarke. Losing you, the others, the war…it changed him. He executed the grounder that drew us the map. Pulled the trigger without even blinking and walked away."

"That doesn't sound like Finn," Clarke says.

"No, it doesn't," Bellamy agrees. "I saw what he was capable of, and still I let him go with Murphy and two automatic rifles."

"I'm sure that had to be done," I say.

"When we got back to the dropship and no one was there, we assumed it was the grounders."

"Of course you did," Clarke says. "You couldn't have known it was the Mountain Men. No one could have."

"How long until chocolate cake turns into being hung upside down and drained for their blood?" Bellamy asks.

"I don't know," I say, "But we don't have much time."

"Ok," Bell nods, "First we find Finn, then our people in Mount Weather."

"And Lincoln," Octavia pipes up.

"And Lincoln," I nod.

"Which way to the village?" Bellamy asks Octavia. After a moment of silence, Bellamy looks at his little sister concerned, "O?"

"The reapers came from there," She points to the west of Bellamy's map, "I couldn't save him, Bell. I couldn't save him."

Clarke and I glance at each other with sorrow. We've seen these reapers. We know what they're capable of. They're ugly and nasty and freaking annoying. The worst part is that they have no sense of control. Its scary to think how far the reapers will go when it comes to torturing Lincoln. Then to torturing all of us.


	19. Fog Of War

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who is reading!**

 **Episode: Fog Of War**

* * *

We eventually found Finn and Murphy, but what we saw alongside of them is something I wish I never could have seen. Murphy and Finn were standing outside of Lincoln's home village looking emotionally and physically drained. I didn't know why until we were a couple feet away from them and we could see the devastation of what Finn did to the village.

Everywhere, women, kids, and men lay lifeless in the dirt. Blood was sprinkled everywhere, homes were destroyed and smoke filled the air from fires not being taken care of anymore.

It was hard looking at Finn the same way after seeing what he did to an entire village of grounders. I never knew Finn to be a violent person. Hell, that was the first time I've ever seen him hold a gun. But when he saw Clarke, the look on his face said everything. He didn't care what he did because he did it to get answers. To find her. He wasn't in his right mind. I knew it because he actually smiled when he saw Clarke despite how exhausted and beat up he looked. It was as if the horrific scene behind him didn't exist.

"What have you done?" Clarke whispered. She couldn't even enjoy being back in the presence of the one she loves.

That's when Finn's face finally contorted into one of confusion. He didn't know what he did wrong.

* * *

Back at camp, Clarke tries explaining to Bellamy and Octavia the routes in which we took to escape Mount Weather and find Camp Jaha. I don't bother butting into the conversation. Clarke is better with directions than I am anyway. And even if I were good at directions, Bellamy seems to be more interested in Clarke's details than mine, which I have to admit, spits a little jealousy through my pores.

I wish that just for a second, Bellamy and I would have some alone time. It's like being back at the dropship all over again; almost no time for a relationship but a bunch of time for grounders and drama.

I know I am being selfish. And I know that finding our friends is more important than finding time to kiss and hug and maybe more. But I thought this guy was dead. And while I thought he was dead, I thought back on all the things boyfriends and girlfriends do that Bellamy and I never did. And it was a regret of mine, and now I have been given a second chance.

"Ok, tell me again," Bellamy says. I mentally roll my eyes, feeling as if I heard the same story over and over again. Plus, I lived it.

"It's a labyrinth," Clarke says. "We got to the dam through this tunnel. It's all connected to the mine system. That's our way in," Clarke points to Bellamy's map.

"If we can get past the Reapers and the Mountain Men," I comment.

"I swear to god, if your mom doesn't sanction a mission soon, I'm going by myself," Bellamy says. I don't know who Bellamy is talking to now that Abby refers to mine _and_ Clarke's mom.

I reach out for his hand and squeeze, "You won't be by yourself."

The distant chatter from behind us where we find Murphy and Finn talking to guards and other nosey people distracts us from our road map.

"Guess the inquisition's over," I say. "How's Finn doing, anyway?" Clarke looks down, distracting herself from conversation. I frown, feeling sorry for her and that her relationship with Finn is at a standstill. Bellamy sees this and talks soothingly.

"I haven't talked to him since we got back. I don't know what to say." Bellamy says. Clarke scoffs at this, crossing her arms over her chest and rolling her eyes. "We're at war, Clarke. We've all done things."

Clarke's face drops slowly. Maybe she's thinking about all the things she has done wrong since landing on Earth. Or maybe she's thinking of what Finn could have done that was so horrifically wrong. Either way, they are bad thoughts. Thoughts no one should have to think of.

And with that, Finn walks over to our group. He doesn't bother looking at any of us but Clarke. Bellamy gives Clarke an encouraging nod and stands up. He takes my hand and we walk away to leave them with some privacy.

"Are you sure we should leave them alone?" I ask quietly. "I mean, from what you told me, his emotions seem to be out of whack."

Bellamy shakes his head, "They'll be okay. What he did…he did for Clarke. He wouldn't put her in any danger. Besides, this gives us some time to ourselves."

A slow smile draws on my face. I look up into his dark brown eyes and see the man that I have missed so much. More than anything, we need our time alone, and there is a tug of energy that sores through me knowing we're finally going to get it.

Camp Jaha has more rules than our camp at the dropship did. It's not as easy to disregard your leader's demands and just walk out of camp to take a walk. So, we have to make do with a date to an assigned room he was given by Abby.

When we walk the halls of Camp Jaha hand in hand, I can't help but think of my life back on the Ark. It looks exactly the same, except this time, we're not floating in space. I can take a breath of fresh air when ever I want to.

Bellamy pulls me into his room. Four walls and a single bed in the corner.

Bellamy closes the door and wraps his hands around my waist, pushing me against the wall and kissing me deeply. I smile into the kiss and twist my hands in his curls. His hands reach down and squeeze my ass, which I take as a sign to jump. I wrap my legs around his waist and he leads me to his bed, where he lays me down gently.

We pause to look into each others' eyes, not sure whether this was a dream or a reality. My hands caress his cheeks, stroking his cheekbone softly with my thumb. I bite my lips as I stare into the man that I get to call all mine and wonder how I got so lucky.

"I love you, Bellamy," I whisper.

Bellamy smiles and leans down to kiss me again. When he pulls away he says breathlessly, "I love you so much, Cass." Another kiss. "I am never letting you go."

His head dips down to kiss my neck. I bite my bottom lip and let out a shaky exhale as I let him take care of me and he shows me how much he loves me.

* * *

I wake up naked, tangled in Bellamy's arms with nothing but a thin blanket shielding us from the rest of the world. I turn my head and watch Bellamy's chest rise up and down in a perfect rhythm.

I let him sleep for a couple of more seconds before I wake him, brushing the stray hairs out of his eyes. His eyes, then, flutter open. He scrunches his eyebrows, confused until he turns his head and sees me. Then, his face softens and a grin appears on his lips.

I let out a little giggle, "Good morning."

"A very good morning indeed," Bellamy rolls over so that he hovers over me. He leans down and kisses me again. "Round two?"

"You mean five or six?" I smirk. I kiss him one more time before rolling away. "As much as I would love that, we should go find Clarke and Octavia."

Bellamy groans and buries his face into the pillow, obviously not a fan of that suggestion.

I scurry to find my clothes around his room. Each article of clothing is in a different area of the room, thrown there in a frantic toss. I remember how the clothes got there so fervently and grow fuzzy inside.

"Hey, do you know where my—" I turn to see Bellamy holding my underwear—or even if you can call them underwear—up in the air with his index finger, smirking widely. "Of course."

"Looking for these?" He teases. I hold out my hand for him to give them back to me. But he only retracts his arm and hides the underwear under is arm. "Are you sure you don't want to do it again?"

I take the pillow that is lying on the ground and throw it at him. He laughs loudly and tosses me the underwear. I slip them on and walk over to his bed and sit down next to him. The mood around us grows more serious, and I can't seem to grasp how unreal this is - how lucky I am to be laughing with Bellamy right now. I never thought I would be able to do that again.

"I thought you were dead," I say, bringing things to a more serious note. "When I saw you again, I thought I was seeing a ghost. I thought I was going crazy—"

"I'm right here, sweetheart," Bellamy squeeze my hand reassuringly. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Don't ever leave me."

"Wouldn't even dream of it."

We walk outside together, not holding hands, but close enough where our arms always brush against each other. We're not into PDA but we're into each other and anyone who knows us can see it.

"Bellamy!"

"Casady!"

Immediately stepping outside, we're called on by different people, having to separate into different directions. Clarke has Bellamy follow her towards the fence where they talk in private. I wonder if they're talking about Finn. If so, I want in on that conversation. Shouldn't she be gossiping about her boyfriend with her sister?

I'm taken out of my thoughts when someone grabs my arm and wraps herself around me. I look down to see Octavia looking fresh from a couple hours worth of sleep, her hair back in her half up half down hairdo, and her dark makeup redone. She's beautiful and it only took a couple hours worth of sleep. She has a gift, and I am jealous.

But after my night last night, I can't feel anything but giddiness. I feel refreshed but not the same way as Octavia. I feel like my relationship with Bellamy has hit the refresh button and we were given a second chance. And now, we're using that second chance, and we're happy.

"What's got you all smiles and giggles?" Octavia says, pulling away slightly to examine my facial expressions. However, she keeps one arm around mine, like we're escorting each other to a dance.

"You really don't want to know," I say, my smirk widening even more as I think back on to last night. The kisses, the whispers, and the touches…

"You're blushing!" Octavia squeals, digging more deeply. "Wow Casady Lima is blushing. Should I call in the News and tell them we have a Breaking Story?"

"Octavia, you really don't want to know!" I think of telling Octavia that I just had sex with her brother and how that kind of thought can traumatize her brain for hours. _I'm sleeping with my best friend's brother._

"Yes, I do. It's killing me."

"Okay, fine." I stop in my place. "But if I'm going to tell you this, you can't walk away from me. I'd like to talk about this kind of stuff with my best friend. So, this is like a trial run."

"Okay," Octavia's voice becomes shaky as she suddenly gets nervous, like I am going to drop a bomb.

"Bellamy and I had sex last night," There's the bomb.

I watch as Octavia's face drops to utter disgust. It was quite humorous actually. "Oh, gross!"

I ignore her hand that's waving in the air, trying to dismiss this conversation. I ignore her cringing face as she tries to erase the last ten seconds out of her memory, and I keep going. "It was so perfect. It was like he knew me and knew what I would like."

"I'm going to throw up."

I ignore her again. This time it's me clutching her arm, "Maybe you can do my makeup like how you now do yours. Maybe he'll find it sexy on me." I say that last part just to make her borderline nauseous because I find her reaction humorous. Its nice to know Octavia and I can still laugh about things despite the nightmare we're living in.

"I hate you."

I shrugged, "I warned you." This time I don't ignore her look that shows me she wants to vomit everywhere and I grimace. "Maybe Clarke or Raven is better for this kind of conversation with me."

"Yeah, I would think so," Octavia gulps.

"Casady!" Clarke appears at the entrance doorway of the Ark. I groan as I think of walking into another boring meeting. Clarke's eyes are big and red after getting no sleep. Her face is pale and dry, and her hair is clumped together in grease. "We need you in here!"

"Maybe Raven," Octavia says when Clarke retreats back into the conference room.

"Definitely Raven."

* * *

"I know why we haven't heard from any of the Ark stations," Raven begins the meeting. In the room is just me, Clarke, Raven, and Abby. "Mount Weather is jamming us."

"Show me," Abby says.

Raven nods and points to a small device that sits on the table. "I tweaked the resonator and got this," Raven turns the dial and the machine sings a muffled static. "It's on every frequency. Long-range communication is totally screwed. It's also why the range in our walkies suck. It's the same signal Monty heard on the black box of the exodus ship."

"Mount Weather crashed the exodus ship…" I say quietly. My face scrunches like I had just eaten something very sour. _I ate and laughed with the people who killed my father._

Abby asks, "Can you get around the signal?"

"Around it? No," Raven replies. "But if I can get to the tower that broadcasts it, I can make it go boom."

Clarke and I nod at her plan, liking the sound of her confidence and leadership. But, of course, Abby has a different opinion that is ready to wipe any source of smile off our faces.

"No one is going anywhere."

Clarke sighs, "Mom, listen to me…"

"What do I have to do to get through to you?" Abby turns towards her daughter with begging eyes. "You and your friends are not soldiers, and continuing to act like you are puts lives at risk."

"You didn't seem to mind putting 100 lives at risk when you and the rest of the council sent us here to die," I snap. And just like that, the happy attitude I woke up with is now gone.

The room falls silent as I watch Abby fight to think of some kind of excuse. But what she did is inexcusable and will forever be held a grudge by my friends and I.

"You don't understand. Raven found something," Clarke says, not as pushy as before. "Mount Weather is jamming our communications."

"It's true," Raven steps up to try and persuade Abby. "There could be other Ark stations on the ground. And more guards. You said we don't have enough people to fight a two-front war…"

"But we're already fighting one," I finish Raven's thought for her.

This is where Byrne comes in to defend her boss, and I know I am not going to like her words. "The Grounder retaliation for the massacre could happen at any time, and when it does, we need every available man to defend this camp."

"So let us go," I say.

"You're not going to stop, are you?" Abby directs her attention to me.

I nod my head, "Not until my friends are safe." Abby's face softens. "And maybe that doesn't mean much to you, but Clarke feels the same way. So if not our friends, say yes for Clarke."

After a moment to pause, Abby nods her head, "Ok." _Finally_. I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding. "But I'm coming with you."

"Ma'am, I just said—"

Abby cuts Byrne off, "It's been quiet for two days. Maybe Kane is making headway with the Grounder's commander."

"Or maybe he's dead, and they're massing against us as speak."

"Maybe," I shrug. I swear, everyone holds their breath when I speak. Like I'm going to say something that could get all of us in trouble. "which is why we need more guards."

Abby nods, "Then it's settled." She shares a glance with all of us, "We're going back to Mount Weather."

* * *

We begin walking in the afternoon. Me, Clarke, Bellamy, Octavia, Raven, Finn, Abby, and other guards. Finn leads the group after being claimed as the best tracker we've got. The beginning of our journey was awkward because no one knew what to say with him around after learning he went on a psychotic rampage.

Clarke and Abby take lead with Finn, talking strategy and protocols. Octavia, Bellamy, and I walk behind.

"I can't believe they let Finn come," Octavia mutters under her breath, loud enough for only Bellamy and I to hear.

"He's the best tracker we've got," Bellamy says with a bit of disapproval in his voice. He doesn't want him here either. He clears his throat and announces loudly, "Don't forget to look up. The Grounders use the trees." Then, he lowers his voice and stares at the grass, "That's how we lost John Mbege."

I glance at Octavia who also has fixed her eyes on the ground. I remember the night Octavia and I were taken by Lincoln. That was the same night John died. He died trying to save us.

"We're getting closer," I whisper to Bellamy and Octavia. "We should start retreating back, inch by inch."

The Blakes exchange glances and nod their heads, agreeing. Clarke looks back, also taking note of the time, and nods her head, thinking the same thing I am.

Bellamy holds my hand and squeezes it softly.

* * *

 **CLARKE'S POV:**

It's not until the sky turns black with nightfall when we spot Mount Weather. The ugly building brings back terrible memories that spikes chills down my entire body. I shudder at the thought of being caught, being recognized, and being taken again.

"There, I see it!" One of the guards point.

"It'll be dark soon," I say. Finn, the guards, and my mother all stop in their tracks to look at me. "We'll never spot the traps. We should set up cam here, leave at first light."

My mother nods, but senses a shift in our group dynamic. She counts the number of heads and says, "We're missing three."

Usually I would be freaking out right now, but my heart rate stays calm. Bellamy, Octavia, and Casady left a while ago. They're too far out for any of us to find them now.

My only worry is my mother going nuts about her new daughter missing.

"Where the hell are they?" My mom seethes.

"Bellamy! Octavia!" A man shouts.

"Casady!" My mother screams, distressed. Her tone shoots knives through me, but I keep a straight face. She turns around, stomping my way. "Clarke, we're in enemy territory, and their lives are my responsibility."

"They went to find a way in," I tell her. No point in lying now.

"A way in?" My mom repeats, "That's not what this mission is about."

"It is for them."

Abby turns to the guards, her face red from heated rage, her eyes glossing over with frustrated tears, and her hands tremble with the terrifying thought that her daughter and two others are by themselves with no protection, probably dead.

"Find them," She tells them. "Bring them back."

"Yes, ma'am," They nod.

"You two," my mom points to Finn and I, "with me. Let's go."

Finn shakes his head and starts moving with the guards, "I'm going with them."

"Finn, wait," I call after him. I don't know if I trust him on his own.

Raven also says something to try and persuade him to stick with us, "We need you here."

"Why?" Finn snaps. "So you can keep an eye on me?" My eyes slip to his gun and then my mind runs to an image of Finn using that weapon against innocent people. "You'd have to be able to look at me to do that."

I shiver, "Finn…"

"What do you think I'm going to do?" Finn looks at me incredulously.

He doesn't wait for an answer. He walks away, ignoring any kind of authority.

"Finn!" He doesn't turn around. I sigh as I watch him walk away. "I'll go get him."

It doesn't take long to find Finn, but I was never worried of him getting lost. We're both familiar with the woods by now. However, it does take a while for him to actually look back at me as I am calling his name. I get it. I hit a nerve by giving him the cold shoulder since we reunited, but he's not allowed to play victim here. That is completely unfair.

"Finn! Come back," I yell. Finally, he turns around and acknowledges me. But he has those sad puppy dog eyes that I would have fallen head over heels for a couple of months ago. But now I only see regret. "It was an accident."

Finn doesn't have time to respond. A distant explosion has us both turn around where we see a greenish-yellow gas storming through the woods. Animals screech as they fall under and are peeled apart.

"Run!" Finn grabs my arm and we begin sprinting away.

My first thought is my mother. She has never experienced this kind of retaliation and she might be out there, vulnerable. She's stuck with Raven, who is the only one who knows what to do in a situation like this, so now she has to manage my mother and ten guards.

I reach for my walkie and scream into it, never slacking in my sprint, "Acid fog! Take cover! If you can hear me, use the tents!"

As soon as I say that, I feel the lightness of my back and begin to panic, "My tent! I forgot my pack!"

"It's ok!" Finn yells. I turn my head and see that acid fog is gaining on us. "We can make it to the bunker!"

And for the first time since Finn got back, I listen to him and trust him.

* * *

 **CASADY'S POV:**

"According to Clarke, before the bombs, there were buildings everywhere here," Bellamy explains to Octavia and I on our separate journey towards Mount Weather. Private time with the Blakes is a time much needed, but it sucks that it's business oriented or else we could be having a lot of fun right now. "I'm guessing some of them had access to the bunker. So we're looking for ruins, anything that's manmade, ok?"

Octavia and I nod, agreeing with the plan.

"Hey! Blake! Griffin!" A deep voice approaches us. He's a tall man, dark skinned, and wearing a guards uniform like the two other men behind him.

"It's Lima," I correct him with clenched teeth.

He ignores me, "Let's go. Right now."

"In case you've forgotten, we're not under _your_ command."

"Don't make us do this the hard way," The guard, Scott, threatens.

Bellamy steps in front of me at that point in a protective manner, which was probably a good idea or else there would be a fight happening.

"Come on, Scott," Bellamy says, "46 of our people are prisoners in this mountain."

"And that's why we're out here."

"Wrong," I step to the side so I can be seen by the guards. "You're out here to find other stations of the Ark. We're out here to find our friends."

"Cass," Octavia says quietly. It was a tone that issues concern, which makes me turn my head towards her immediately, dropping all previous conversation.

She's looking straight to the ground, watching the small insects run in a pack towards the north side of the woods. There were thousands of them, letting off high pitched screeches.

"What are they doing?" I ask.

"Running," Bellamy answers. He looks up and see's the horrifyingly familiar site of acid fog quickly approaching. "Acid fog! We need cover! Now!" Bellamy starts giving out orders, which the guards do not object to because they have never seen this before. "Deploy the tents! Let's go!"

The guards separate and drop their packs, working on getting up their tents.

My eyes don't leave the fog, panic stricken at how fast our death sentence is coming.

"Let's get all the canvas out now!" Bellamy shouts. "O! O! Get back here!"

My head snaps towards Octavia, thinking there was something wrong. She's digging at the ground where the bugs are running.

"Bell!" She screams, "There's something in here. Maybe it's the ruins."

Bellamy nods and waves over the guards, "Hey! Hey! Over here!" They claw at the door that's hidden behind branches and moss. The door doesn't budge, and the acid is getting closer. "Come on, pull!"

The men groan as they pull with all of their strength until the door finally releases and opens up.

"Hey! Quick! Get inside!" Bellamy waves us all in. "Come on, move! Let's go!"

Inside is dark and dusty, and impossible to see until the guards clicked on their flashlights. When they do, I see a big open space with multiple cars parked to the sides. Its gray concrete everywhere, with dust particles floating in the air. A few thick poles stand from the ground up to the ceiling.

"Where are we?" Scotts asks.

"Looks like a garage," Bellamy answers.

"More like a tomb," I say, more to myself, but everyone around me could hear me. Scott gives me a look but I merely just shrug my shoulders, not giving a shit.

Octavia pulls out her sword from the leather sheath and holds it out just in case.

"Look, I'm sorry about your man," Bellamy says to Scott, referring to the guard that was more focused on setting up his tent than opening the door that lead us to here. The fog caught up to him before he made it to the door. "But we need to find an access door to Mount Weather."

"Hey not so fast," Scott says. He pulls out a gun from the waist band of his pants, and holds it there. Bellamy stops, suddenly. It takes the power in me not to say something. _Really? You're using weapons on us?_

"Sir that fog could keep us pinned down for another…"

Scotts cuts him off by offering the gun to Bellamy, a move I was not expecting.

"We'll split up," Scott says. "Lima, you're with us."

Before I can object, Octavia does it for me. "Sir, right now, Casady has two Blakes that are completely in love with her so you'd have to be delusional to think we're letting her out of our sights."

I raise my eyebrows, intrigued with the complement, and look over to Scott with a satisfied smirk.

Scotts gives a disapproving look but nods anyway, "Be back here in 15. Be safe."

"Let's go," Bellamy says.

Octavia, Bellamy, and I check out the garage, each with our own flashlight. Bellamy has a gun, Octavia has a sword, and I am left with a tiny steak knife. So basically, if we're attacked by anything, I am the first one to go.

My heart stops when I hear the floors being scratched. My mind flashes back to being stuck in the cave with Clarke, picturing the reapers centimeters away from clawing my face off. I could still smell their foul scent and picture their drooling mouths and lifeless eyes. They were humans with no souls, no conscience, and no sense of understanding the world around them. They just notice their prey.

It wasn't until I shot my light on it, that I almost peed my pants over a small rat. I jumped, my back hitting Octavia's shoulder.

"C'mon, Casady, getting scared of mice now?" Octavia teases with a large smirk on her face. She walks ahead.

Unlike Octavia's amused expression, Bellamy wears more like one of concern as he stops looking around the garage to stare at me.

I take a deep breath and play it off as nothing, asking, "What?"

He tilts his head, "What did they do to you over there?"

I know what his question refers to: Mount Weather. Before Mount Weather, I would be the first one to volunteer to walk into enemy territory, finding an addicting adrenaline rush for the risk. Now, I'm losing breath over rodents? What _did_ Mount Weather do to me?

And honestly, I do not know. Mount Weather did not physically harm me in any way. They gave me food, clothes, and shelter. But I saw what they're doing behind the scenes. What horror they can create. Even the people we thought of saints can turn into such demons.

"You never know what you're going to run into," I answer sadly. That, my folks, was the truest statement of our reality.

Deep male screams echo throughout the garage. This time, all three of us are on our toes and we're running towards the guards, calling their names but never getting a response.

We slow down when we hear music. Instrumental music that would make someone want to ballroom dance. "Ding dong ding dong…" it sings happily and resonates throughout the garage. But in this moment, when we're missing two our people, it was creepy.

I pick up the small hand held device that was playing the music. It was small, white, and covered in dust and dirt. Whatever it is, it survived the nuclear war.

"Bell, what's that?" Octavia asks.

I silent the device and listen closely to what O is hearing. I hear hushed voices, growling, and scuffling. Too rough that I don't believe it to be the guards.

Bell shines his flashlight to the source and and its two men, crawled over the guards. Their faces are covered in blood, foam, and sweat. Their clothes are heavy, and their eyes shine bright in the light.

"Reapers," I say. My heart pounds so loudly, I can hear it in my ears. There's no way I can escape reapers twice. I'm not _that_ lucky.

The Reapers stare us down now that they are distracted from their meal, which happen to be the guards, and charge after us. Bellamy is quick with his gun and fires multiple rounds at the two Reapers, killing them.

I let out a breath of relief, but I stay on the balls of my feet. Who knows how many more are here?

Bellamy picks up the guard's fallen machine gun and wraps it around himself. He then, takes his extra gun and hands it to Octavia.

Great, now Octavia has two weapons and I am still stuck with a dinner utensil.

We keep moving. A couple minutes later, there's another growl to our right. This Reaper looks the same as his buddies, gross, smelly, and scary. Only this time, he looks familiar.

Bellamy cocks his gun, ready to fire until Octavia screams at him, ordering him not to shoot.

"Don't!" She cries. Bellamy lowers his gun and looks at her like she's crazy. "It's Lincoln."

Bellamy drops his gun and stares at Lincoln. I do the same, only my mouth is slightly open in shock. Lincoln. I haven't seen him since he rescued Clarke and I from the grounders. And now he suffers a fate that is far worse than death. And I know just who to blame.

"Lincoln," Octavia says as Lincoln stands up straight. His eyes are animalistic, showing no signs of recognition. "Lincoln, it's me. It's Octavia!"

Lincoln doesn't hear her. Or if he does, he has no idea who she is. She is just another side to his dinner. He sprints for her.

"O!" I grab her arm and we run away.

"We need to get somewhere safe," Bellamy says.

"Turn off your flashlights," I tell them. "Maybe we can lose him until we find somewhere to go."

The two of them nod and we turn off our flashlights, never breaking our sprint.

We find shelter in one of the SUV's. The three of us squish in the back like a massage train. I am on the end, Bellamy in the middle, and Octavia in the front. Bellamy holds his little sister—her back to his chest, trying to sooth her as much as possible.

My heart aches for Octavia. If that were Bellamy I don't know what I would do. I wouldn't even know how to save him.

"He's a Reaper?" She whispers, horrified. "How is it even possible? He just looked right through me."

"Shh," I shush her.

Lincoln walks by the window of our car. We all hold in a breath, afraid that one move could kill us instantly—even if it were just a rising chest. Lincoln walks by, looking for us. He looks at the window, but I don't think he sees through it.

"Did he see us?" Octavia asks.

"I don't know," I answer.

Lincoln trips and stumbles into the window. His hand squeaks against the glass as it rubs across it. We jolt back. Lincoln snarls and walks away.

"We'll get him back," I tell Octavia. She turns her head towards me with eyes filled with hope. "I promise."

The three of us come up with a plan that includes Octavia as bait. It was my idea, which Bellamy was completely against which I know I will get a lecture about later, but Octavia was all for it, so therefore, two against one.

Octavia walks out in the open garage, calling out Lincoln's name. The handgun that Bellamy had given to her was in her hand by her side, ready to be used.

"Lincoln!" She screams. "Can you hear me?!"

Bellamy and I hide behind a corner, waiting for heavy footprints.

Soon, Lincoln shows his face and stands right in front of Octavia.

"I'm sorry," She whispers to her boyfriend. Like I said, my heart aches.

Bellamy whips around from behind the corner and screams, "Hey!"

Lincoln turns around and growls at the site of Bellamy. He lunges for him, and Octavia shoots him in the leg to slow him down. Then, Bellamy takes out the electric baton from his belt and lights it up. When Lincoln gets closer, he raises the baton to his neck, shocking him to the ground. Lincoln still puts up a fight, so he has to hold it there for a while, which was hard to watch.

Then, my turn comes and I hit him on the side of his head with the back end of the machine gun, knocking him out instantly.

The sounds of our heavy panting fills the air as we hunch over our friend with frowns.

"Now what?" Octavia asks.

"Now we take him home," I answer. If anyone could find a cure for Lincoln it would be Clarke and Abby.


	20. Long Into An Abyss

**A/N: Feel free to leave a review if you're liking the story. I love when I see the number rise in reviews (: Thanks for reading!**

 **Episode: Long Into an Abyss**

* * *

On the ground, home is not at Camp Jaha where the guards control our every move and our suggestions are always turned down with an aggressive "No". Home is at the dropship where charred skeletons currently litter the area. This is where we learned to survive. We learned how to fight here, I met my sister here, and I met my boyfriend here. This place doesn't have the best memories. We've lost a lot of people. But its made us a family. This home has made us strong.

Bellamy chains Lincoln tightly to the top floor wall just like he did a few weeks after we landed on Earth - when he took Octavia and I. But things are different now. He's not here because he's a threat to us. Well, _right now_ he is but it's out of his control. He's here for protection so we can find a way to fix him.

I've never seen Lincoln look so scary. He shows off his teeth like an angry dog about to attack its prey. His eyes are red and droopy and his body is constantly shaking. He continues to pull on his chains violently, forcing me to believe they aren't going to last very long.

Lincoln never takes his eyes off of Octavia, and it's hard for her to look away, but she does it anyway. She doesn't want to see Lincoln suffering like this. And I know she's feeling guilty for putting a bullet in his leg.

Bellamy pulls me to the side. For him, it's hard to take his eyes off of his little sister, as she sits there, hurt, and there is nothing he can do to help her.

Before Bellamy can open his mouth, I know what he is going to say. So I say if for him, "Abby is the only one who will know how to save him."

Bellamy nods his head sullenly. "I'll go back and find her. Try to keep Octavia calm, and don't take your eyes off of Lincoln. Okay?"

I nod, "Okay."

"Okay," He places his hands on both sides of my face and pecks my lips. "I'll be right back."

After he climbs down the ladder, and I can no longer hear the snaps of twigs under his feet, I sit next to Octavia and wrap my arm around hers. She lays her head on my shoulder and cries. We sit there in silence until Lincoln scares the crap out of us again by lunging forward. Luckily the chains keep him on a leash.

"You did what you had to do," I say, indicating towards Lincoln's leg.

"I hope he sees that when this is all over with," Octavia says. "If this gets over with."

"Bellamy went to get Abby. If he anyone can fix him, it will be her."

"That's nice," Octavia says, glancing at me. "Giving your mom a compliment. I guess that's a step."

I sigh, "Don't get ahead of yourself. Abby's good at being a doctor, I said nothing about her being a mom." I sit up straighter, "And she's not my mother."

"She gave birth to you."

"That doesn't make her my mother. It makes her my birth giver."

"Your birth giver?" Octavia smirks, repeating my words to show how crazy I am being.

"Yes, a birth giver. A woman who gives birth to a baby. That doesn't necessarily make her that child's mother." I say, not giving in to it.

Truth is, it's hard for me to believe that anyone besides Andrea Lima could be my mother. I loved my Mom. She was my best friend. The only one who understood my pain when it came to my dad. We didn't even have to physically talk about it. We both just _knew_. Dad was a real dick to both of us, and we were too young and too scared to stop him. I believe my mom is the reason I'm alive today. We had a bond that death could only break. I'm not going to let Abby take that away from me.

"You're impossible," Octavia laughs.

Lincoln growls and tugs on his chains again, making Octavia and I jolt backwards, clutching each other's arms tighter.

Looks like I'm not the only one that's impossible.

* * *

Bellamy comes back about an hour later. When he climbs the ladder with Clarke right behind him, he takes note of the exhaustion that is smeared on both mine and Octavia's faces.

Clarke's eyes go directly to Lincoln and when he lunges for Clarke, she flinches back, scared. Octavia and I have become so used to it that we can only lower our eyes shamefully, as if we were the ones doing this to him. Like it was our fault.

"It's okay," Bellamy tells Clarke soothingly. "He's been restrained."

"I can't believe were back here again," Clarke says.

"Can you help him?" Octavia asks her.

Clarke shakes her head and looks Lincoln up and down, "I don't know. I knew Mount Weather controlled the Reapers…I had no idea they were creating them."

"Neither did I," I say.

"If they can do that to Lincoln, what're they doing to our friends?" Bellamy says.

I close my eyes and turn away, only imagining the worst.

I hear the chains shaking again, only this time, they are not being tugged. Lincoln is shaking violently. His face has lost color, drool runs out of his mouth, and his eyes have rolled to the back of his head. The only thing standing him up is the chains around his wrist that are bolted to the wall.

Clarke looks at him shocked, but still concerned, "He's convulsing."

"S—so what does that mean?" Octavia stands up.

Clarke examines Lincoln from head to toe and stops at his leg. She looks behind her and asks, "What happened to his leg?"

"I shot him," Octavia frowns.

"He's lost a lot of blood," Bellamy says.

Clarke turns back to Lincoln and squints, "Can you shine the light on his neck?"

I pick up the flashlight and do as she asks. Lincoln thrashes around even more at the light exposure.

"Needle marks," Clarke says.

"You think he's been drugged?" Bellamy asks.

"Maybe."

One last tug on his restraints and Lincoln breaks free. He shoves Clarke to the ground and goes after Bellamy who runs in front of him like the super hero he thinks he is. Bellamy gets a few swings in there, but Lincoln and his drug inducted adrenaline knocks him to the side.

I step in front of Octavia before Lincoln can get to her next. Like Bellamy, I also get a few swings in there, barely slowing him down. But Lincoln is a lot stronger than I am. He wraps his hands around my neck and pins me to the wall. I thrash around, trying to kick him, but it's like he is indestructible.

Octavia grabs Bellamy's fallen machine gun and hits Lincoln on the side of his head with it. Lincoln drops me to the ground, and I fall to my knees. I crawl over to Bellamy, coughing and gasping for air.

Octavia hits him again and again until he falls unconscious.

Clarke gets straight to work, using Lincoln's unconsciousness as an advantage to helping him.

"Where's Abby?" I ask, never asking why she showed up instead of Abby. However, I guess if we couldn't get Abby, Clarke would be the next best thing.

"She's ordered an evacuation of Camp Jaha," Clarke says. She turns around and notices our confused expressions and says, "The Chancellor was with Kane at the Grounder's village. The Grounders still have Kane but they released Jaha with a message. The message was _'Leave now or die tomorrow.'_ We have until dawn."

"Clarke," Octavia points to Lincoln's leg.

Clarke's head snaps towards her patient and her hands press down on Lincoln's bullet wound, "We have to stop the bleeding and get the bullet out. Hold his leg down."

Octavia nods and helps hold Lincoln's leg down. Lincoln groans in pain and Octavia says soothingly, "Shh, shh."

Bellamy and I work together to find seatbelts, wires, anything to hold Lincoln down for when he starts moving again. If chains didn't work, I don't see how some fabric and wires would do the trick either, but I keep my mouth shut and continue searching.

"We need rags, water, anything you can find," Clarke says.

"I'll get it," Octavia shoves past Clarke and I.

Bellamy steps in front of her and holds out his hand, "Once the drug is out of his system, he'll be okay." I watch as Bellamy tries searching for any kind of word that would help comfort his little sister. It breaks my heart seeing how worried he's getting for Octavia because there's nothing he can physically do to help and protect her.

Octavia shakes her head, "You can't protect me from this one, big brother."

Octavia walks around her brother and down the ladder.

Bellamy looks at me hopelessly, and the only thing I can do to comfort him is offer a sorrowful grin. I really do have sympathy for him. His entire life has been about protecting Octavia whether it be from guards, grounders, or even boys. Now he's finally faced with a problem he can't fix for his little sister.

"Don't take it personally, Bell," Clarke speaks up without moving her eyes from Lincoln's withering body. "Some things we can't protect our sister's from."

Bellamy watches for my reaction, which is nonexistent. I have no emotions towards what she said, as if she wasn't even talking about me. I don't show it, but for some reason, that comment doesn't sit right with me.

"Your mom would be proud," Bellamy kneels besides Clarke and offers her any assistance.

Clarke steps back, "My mom would know how to save him."

We hear Octavia's heavyset boots ascend up the ladder. Her face is skeptical as she looks at us warily, like she's done something wrong.

Then we find out why.

Behind her is a grounder. A burly man with long hair tied into a thin braid, a long beard, with tattoos and mud on his face.

Bellamy's protective instincts kick in and he shoves me behind him as he draws his gun and threatens the grounder.

Before Bellamy can even think about getting a good shot in there, Octavia steps in front of the grounder with her arms out, demanding him to stop.

"Bellamy, don't! He's Lincoln's friend and their healer!"

Clarke, barely paying attention to the new grounder on the dropship, becomes agitated when Lincoln starts shaking aggressively. "He's seizing again."

The grounder, also known as Nyko, holds out his hand for Clarke to step aside. When she does, Nyko kneels next to Lincoln and observes his friend's terrible state with a small frown on his lips. Nyko reaches into his pocket and brings out a small vile. He takes a moment before holding it over Lincoln's head. The rest of us watch him intently.

"Yu gonplei ste odon," Nykon mumbles.

I scrunch my eyebrows in confusion. That saying sounds awfully familiar.

Clarke must think the same thing because she reaches out her hand to catch the drop of liquid that comes out of the vile before it can hit Lincoln. "No!" She screams. She repeats the statement, "That's what they say before death."

She's right. I remember hearing that come out of Anya's mouth. I take a deep breath and turn to Octavia, "He's not trying to heal him," My breathing becomes heavier when I turn to Nyko accusingly, "He's trying to kill him."

Octavia turns to Nyko fiercely, "Is it true?"

"Yes, death is the only way," Nyko says.

"You know when one of my friends need help, murdering them isn't the first choice I make," I shrug my shoulders like it was an obvious decision I have had to make in the past.

Nyko looks me up and down, "Yeah, Lincoln's talked about you. Casady, right?"

I raise an eyebrow and glance at Octavia. "What did he say?"

"He said you have an attitude," Nyko answers, "That my first instinct would be to kill you. But that I can also trust you." I glance down at Lincoln's unconscious body and purse my lips. _Thanks Lincoln for the compliment! Sorta._ "So, what would you suggest I do?"

Now, all eyes are on me and I feel a heavy pressure on my chest. I don't know how to save my best friend's boyfriend.

I open my mouth to speak but there's another pair of footsteps coming up the ladder. Only this time, we don't know who it could be.

Bellamy draws his gun again, but we're only met with Finn's head popping through the floor. And he seems frantic.

"We have to go," Finn pants, "The camp's leaving."

Nyko's face contorts into a furious expression, "You!"

"We have to stop—"

"Ripa!" Nyko screams, grabbing Finn by the neck.

Immediately I scream, "Stop!"

Bellamy raises his gun again and screams at the grounder, "Get off!"

Nyko ignores him, "You slaughtered my people," Nyko has Finn by his collar, "Elders. Children. Innocents."

"Oh my god, you're killing him!" Octavia screams.

"Blood must have blood."

"Get out of my way," Bellamy demands of Octavia who stands in front of her brother with her arms out.

"Bellamy, you're not killing him!"

Within all the chaos, my eyes glance down towards Lincoln, who we're all here for in the first place. That's when I notice a difference in him. One that makes my heart drop to the pit my stomach.

"Clarke!" I call out to her. "Lincoln stopped breathing."

Clarke rips her eyes away from Finn and Nyko and drops to her knees next to Lincoln. "His heart stopped." Clarke starts performing CPR.

Now all of us are holding our breath as Clarke pumps her fists against Lincoln's chest. Even Nyko dropped Finn so he could focus on what Clarke was doing to his friend. No one knows what to do or how to help. All we can do is watch Clarke take matters into her own hands.

A couple of seconds later, Lincoln gasps for breath, his eyes turn back to their normal color, and his body calms down a little bit.

I let out a breath of relief, as does the rest of the room. A few tears even slip past Octavia's eyes.

Nyko looks down at his friend, astounded, "He was dead…" he looks at Clarke, "how did you do that?"

Clarke doesn't answer him. Her facial expression reads one of realization. She turns towards me with big eyes as she's hit with an idea I'm sure I'll hate. I tilt my head, confused.

Clarke turns back to Nyko and asks, "You've tried bringing Reapers back before?" Nyko shakes his head, "And they died like this?"

"What is this?" Bellamy asks.

"I know how to stop the attack." Clarke says confidently, earning unsure looks from the rest of us.

* * *

Clarke, Finn, and I walk about to Camp Jaha to find Abby and tell her Clarke's plan to talk to the grounder's commander to buy us more time, and if Abby agrees to it, she will hold off the evacuation. Clarke figured if I was to come with her, Abby would find a soft spot for us and go along with Clarke's plan. I don't think that's going to happen, but if Clarke needs me, I am going to follow my sister.

When we reach camp, Abby and Jaha are talking outside the entrance way of the stations. From what we can tell its a deep and intense conversation, no doubt about differences of opinions when it comes to orders from the Chancellor.

"Mom!" Clarke calls out when we're in hearing distance.

Abby's head snaps in her direction. Her face softens at the sight of her daughter. "Where have you been? We're leaving."

"Clarke knows how to stop the attack," I say. At first I was apprehensive with the idea of actually making contact with the commander, but now I don't think its that terrible of an idea. I mean, what else do we have to lose?

Jaha steps forward, "What're you talking about?"

My eyes snap up and meet Chancellor Jaha's and immediately my jaw clenches with agitation. It wasn't until I was face to face with him that I remembered how much I despised him. Because of his awfully cruel laws, I was wrongly convicted for a crime I never did and my best friend was locked away for just being alive. I know he didn't create those laws, but he didn't do anything to try and change them either. Then I remember Wells. I mean he was the Chancellor's son and now he's dead. Although it doesn't make us even, I keep my mouth shut and push my hatred to the back of my mind.

I look at Clarke to continue. This was her idea; therefore, she should be taking the credit. "We haven't been able to negotiate with the Grounders because we haven't had anything to offer them. The biggest threat they face is from the Reapers. I think we may be able to eliminate that threat for them once and for all."

Abby glances from Jaha to Clarke, "How?"

Jaha turns to Abby sternly, "Abby. You can't seriously—" something catches Jaha's eye which has all our heads turn. Outside Camp Jaha are hundreds of grounders, each holding torches that illuminate their scary faces. There are so many of them that if Clarke is wrong about this, I know for a fact we're screwed. All of us. "They're here."

Abby brings us to the conference room with Jaha, Sargeant Byrne, and two other guards to discuss in further detail.

"They're not attacking yet, which means we still have time," I say after I notice Abby and Jaha's skeptical expressions.

"We have two hours until dawn," Abby says to be more precise.

Clarke steps forward and speaks directly to her mother, "Let me talk to the commander. She was Anya's second. Maybe she'll listen."

Jaha gets frustrated that Abby is even listening to us and taking us into consideration. "We don't even know if the Commander is here."

This time, Finn steps up, "Yes, we do. Nyko told us. You have to at least let her try."

"Abby, we're wasting time. Give me the authority now," Jaha demands.

"Hold on," Abby holds out her hand. "Clarke, you said that Lincoln is going through withdrawal." Clarke nods, and Abby hesitates. "We don't even know what he's withdrawing from. The detox alone could kill him."

"That's where you come in," I point.

"And if I can't save him?" Abby questions.

I lick my lips and hesitate to answer. If we do this, and Abby ends up not being able to help him, we're dead. "That's not an option."

Jaha looks at Abby and I incredulously, "We are risking everything on a bluff? Abby, we have an out." Jaha starts to become more and more impatient, "We have a way to save the lives of our people."

"Not all of them," I say, referring to our friends trapped inside Mount Weather.

Jaha glares at me, "We will come back to save the kids inside Mount Weather!"

"We all know, that's not gonna happen!" The hatred comes back like a flying brick.

Jaha moves his glare to Abby, "Abby. This has gone on long enough. If you do not give the order to begin the exodus, you are killing us all _."_

"I'm sorry," Abby says with her head down. I close my eyes tightly, thinking we have lost this battle. But Abby lifts her head to Jaha, "I can't give that order."

Jaha takes a deep breath to hold himself together, and leans over to talk into Abby's ear, "Abby, give the order."

I glance at Clarke and Finn. Both are holding their breaths.

"No," Abby says, coldly.

" _I_...am the elected Chancellor of the Ark. And I am not going to let you risk the lives of more people; do you understand? I'm going to ask you once again: give...the order to begin the exodus."

"No," Abby lifts her head away from Jaha and glares, "Are you through yet?"

Jaha takes his next approach and walks towards the guards and says sternly, "Sergeant Miller. Major Byrne. I am relieving Doctor Griffin of her command."

I snort, and I can't help it. "You can't just do that."

Clarke glares at me to shut up.

Jaha continues, "Place these four into custody, but make sure they are ready to leave with the rest of us within the hour."

Surprisingly, the guards do not react to Jaha, which agitates Jaha even more. "Right now, Major! Or the blood of everyone in this camp will be on your hands too."

Even with all Jaha's roaring, Byrne does not move.

Abby smirks and takes a step forward, addressing the guards, "Major Byrne, Sergeant Miller, Put Chancellor Jaha in the stockade."

"Yes, ma'am," Byrne nods.

Jaha turns towards Abby, "Everything we did to survive…you're throwing it all away. Why?"

"Because I have faith too," Abby says and turns towards Clarke and I, "In my daughters."

The guards nod their head and walk behind Jaha and hold on to his arms. He flinches back at their touch but the guards fight to keep him still. After a second, he stays still and walks out with pure hatred written on his face.

"Thank you," Clarke offers a grateful grin.

"I'll send the guard detail with you," Abby says.

"No," Clarke shakes her head, "They'll see it as a threat. I have to do this on my own."

"No," This time I disagree with Clarke. "I'm coming with you." Clarke opens her mouth to decline but I don't give her a chance. "I stuck by your side at Mount Weather. I'm not leaving you behind now."

Clarke sighs, reluctant to agree but finally nods her head. She turns back to her—our mother, "Finn will take you to Lincoln."

Abby steps forward, "If you're wrong," She pauses, "All of us are going to die."

* * *

If Bellamy were here, he would object to this plan right away and probably give me a lecture for even going along with Clarke's idea. And with every step Clarke and I get closer to the grounders, I start to think how stupid this plan really is. We probably won't even be able to leave the commander's tent alive.

Every grounder we walk past sends us an unnerving glare and an unsettling growl. Suddenly, I feel the need to dry heave. Why did I offer to come up here with her?

Before we reach the tent where the commander is sitting, one huge grounder steps in front of us, holding his sword threateningly.

"If you are to even look at her the wrong way, I will slit your throats," He says.

There's that dry heaving feeling again.

Clarke nods her head and the grounder lets us through.

Inside, the tent is filled with animal fur blankets, rugs, and seat covers. A few torches create the only light. The guards surround the commander with a threatening glare sent our way. The commander sits at the far end on her dead animals with black smeared all around her eyes. She wears a suit of metal armor. I'm more surprised that she doesn't look any older than Clarke and I.

The woman next to her looks at us with pure hatred. She's dark skinned, darker than Lincoln, and has a big scar running down the side of her face. She's the one to be scared of.

"You're the ones who burned three hundred of my warriors alive," The commander, Lexa, looks up from her small knife.

I'm not going to lie, Lexa doesn't scare me right away. If anything, I think the people around her could do more damage than she could. But I know there's a reason as to why she's the commander and the scary woman standing next to her is not. So I try to be as polite as possible.

"You're the one that sent them there to kill us," I reply.

"Do you have an answer for me, Clarke and Casady of the Sky People?"

"I've come to make you an offer," Clarke says.

"This is not a negotiation."

The grounder next to her speaks aggressively, "Teik ai frag em op en ge disha odon kom."

Clarke ignores the grounder and says, "I can help you beat the Mountain Men."

Intrigued, Lexa says, "Go on."

"Hundreds of your people are trapped inside Mount Weather, kept in cages. Their blood is used as medicine."

"How do you know this?" Lexa asks suspiciously.

"Because I saw them. My people are prisoners there, too," Clarke glances at me, "We were two of them."

"Lies," The grounder next to her spits, "No one escapes the mountain."

" _We_ did," I glare at the grounder, my temper getting the better of me. "With Anya. We fought our way out together."

"Another lie," The grounder says. "Anya died in the fire. You killed her."

"She told me you were her Second," Clarke says to Lexa. Clarke reaches for her pocket, which has all the grounders going for their weapons. Clarke sees this and pulls out what she is about to offer slowly. She shows Lexa Anya's hair. "I'm sure she'd want you to have this."

Clarke walks it over to her slowly.

"We don't even know if it's hers," That grounder says.

Lexa speaks in the other language at her grounder guard violently, but I hear her call her Indra. Thank god she finds her just as annoying as I do.

Lexa returns her attention back to us. She asks softly, "Anya was my mentor before I was called to lead my people." She looks up from the hair and asks, "Did she die well?"

"Yes," Clarke nods. "By my side, trying to get a message to you."

"What message?"

"The only way to save both our people is if we join together."

Indra glares even harder, "Those who are about to die will say anything."

"I'm waiting for an offer, Clarke," Lexa says.

Clarke takes a deep breath, "The Mountain men are turning your people into Reapers." Lexa's face stays expressionless. "I can turn them back."

"Impossible," Indra spits. She turns back to her commander, "Heda, ai beg yu, teik ai frag em op!"

"I've done it with Lincoln," Clarke adds.

"That traitor is the reason—"

"Indra," Lexa says warningly.

"—why the village was slaughtered by your people," Indra talks over Lexa.

"Em pleni!" Lexa yells, furiously. Indra shuts up and Lexa turns back to us. "You say you can turn Reapers back into men?"

Clarke nods, "Yes."

"Then prove it," Lexa says. "Show me Lincoln."

Clarke and I glance at each other, not showing our nerves but we're both thinking the same thing that sets fear through our bones. If we get back to the dropship, and Lincoln is not okay, we're screwed.

* * *

Clarke and I lead Lexa and an army of grounders through the woods all alone to the dropship. No one speaks a word the entire way. I hold my breath, waiting for one of these grounders to have a spazz attack and run a sword through my neck. My money's on Indra.

We reach the dropship. Clarke and I head up the ladder followed by Lexa and Indra. The rest of the clan waits outside as guards to the dropship.

I feel my heart pounding against my rib cage, anxiety rising within me by not knowing what's on the other side of this floor door.

Clarke helps me up and we look at our mom, kneeling next to Lincoln with an expression that says "We're fucked." My once pounding heart becomes still as I see Lincoln on the floor, dead.

We lost.

Indra notices the dead grounder and rips her sword from her sheath. "I'll kill them all!"

With that, Lexa also takes out her sword. My people have the same mind set. Bellamy ships out his machine gun and points it at the grounder, and Abby holds out her electric baton.

Clarke holds out her hand, her voice shaking, "Please. You don't have to do this."

Lexa steps forward, spitting venom with every word, "You lied, and you're out of time."

I look at Clarke and then I look at Lincoln. I shut my eyes tightly to think. Lincoln had once stopped breathing because his heart stopped. To bring him back, Clarke did CPR. This time, his heart stopped, and CPR didn't help. What's something else people do to start a heart?

They use electricity.

"Mom," I say. The word is so foreign in my mouth, and I didn't even mean to say it. Despite the circumstances, she looks pleased. "Shock him." I say.

Abby looks at her electric baton and then to Lincoln, getting the gist and quickly stabbing him with electricity. Lincoln's body convulses, shaking violently. He falls back, not moving.

"Again," Clarke says.

Luckily, Lexa and Indra stopped, watching as their friend is being saved by something they have never seen before.

Abby hits Lincoln again and this time, he doesn't stop moving. His eyes flutter open and he coughs for air.

Octavia falls to her knees next to him, tears falling from his eyes, "Lincoln."

"Octavia," He chokes, his throat probably so dry it feels like it's on fire.

"Oh my god," I mumble. All eyes turn to me, "He's alive."

It takes all my self control not to throw up my middle finger and yell "Suck it." So I just watch the emotional interaction between Octavia and Lincoln instead. I couldn't be more happier for my friend.

Not only that, I can't believe we just saved all of our lives.

* * *

Lexa orders Clarke and I to come back to her tent with her to discuss further peace treaty plans. Against Bellamy's will, we go, and it's like de ja vu.

"Lincoln's recovery was," Lexa pauses to search for the right words. "Impressive. No one's ever survived such a fate before."

"It's not complicated, really. We just have to keep them alive long enough for the drug to leave their system. I _know_ we can do the same for the others," Clarke explains.

Lexa nods, "You may have your truce."

"Thank you."

"I just need one thing in return."

"Tell me."

"Deliver me the one you call Finn," Lexa says. At this, Clarke and I stop breathing, choking on the idea of giving our best friend over to the enemy. It doesn't take a genius to figure out why they want him. "Our truce begins with his death."


	21. Spacewalker

**A/N: Hey guys! So we're quickly approaching up to the chapters that I already have written, meaning updates might be a little slower by next week. Also! I wanna try and get more readers for this story. If any of you have your own story and have advice on how to do so please let me know or spread the word about this one if you can! Again, I love reading reviews so if you like this chapter or my story in general feel free to share your opinion on how I'm doing so far. I realize that there is always room for improvement so any kind of review means a lot to me! Thanks!**

 **Episode: Spacewalker.**

* * *

Clarke and I walked back in silence. _Bring Finn to the grounders?_ Clarke couldn't possibly think this was a good idea. I'd rather live in war than willingly give one of my best friends to the enemy to be tortured and murdered. Yeah what Finn did to their people was inexcusable, but I refuse to let them take another member of my earth-made family from me. Call me stubborn if you must.

When we approach the gate of Camp Jaha, I hear the sound of guns clicking to life and then Bellamy's booming voice, "Hold your fire! They're back! Open the gate."

We walk through the entrance way with sullen faces. Bellamy, Abby, Raven, and Finn walk up to us with concern etched across their features. How the hell were we supposed to tell them what Lexa wants from us? How do we tell Finn? The idea makes my stomach twists in painful knots and dries my throat.

"You okay?" Finn asks Clarke. He takes one look at her eyes and knows she's about to burst into tears.

Its a horrible decision someone's going to have to make. Me? I'm totally against giving Finn to the grounders just so they can have their closure. And I'm sure my friends will feel the same way. But then I take one look at Abby and I remember all she cares about is Clarke's safety - maybe even mine too. And the best way to keep us safe is by giving up Finn to the grounders so that a peace agreement can commence between us and the enemy.

Bellamy looks at me for an answer when Clarke doesn't speak. I open my mouth, trying to come up with the words to explain what just happened. But my mouth is too dry to talk and all I can do is choke back on my words. I bite my lip and look down, finding it hard to make eye contact with anyone.

"What did she say?" Abby asks, "Is there a chance for a truce?"

"Yes," Clarke answers honestly.

"What's wrong?" Finn asks, noticing her hostility.

Clarke glances my way but I can't look at her. I can't look at Finn's face when we give him the news. "They want you. If we want a truce, we have to give them Finn."

Immediately, everyone's concerned expressions change into one of pure shock. For some reason, I even feel guilty about it. Did we not do enough to try and convince Lexa of a different negotiation?

"What the hell are you talking about?" Raven snaps.

"That's their offer," Clarke says.

"That's not an offer," Raven argues.

"It's punishment," Finn says. I force myself to look up. I can't read his face—whether he's upset or understanding. Its more like one of realization. "For what happened at the village. Blood for blood."

"That's insane," Bellamy says.

"If we refuse?" Abby asks.

"They attack," I answer.

"Say we give him up!" Some random man from behind me screams to the rest of the crowd. Hearing an outsider chime into the conversation makes my head snap in his direction Who the hell was _he_ to eaves drop?

A man, maybe ten years older than me, looks at us with a demanding stare. He's created a crowd around him, who look at us like we're crazy for not tying Finn up already and leading him to his excruciating death.

His chant sends a wave of white rage through my fingertips. I crush my hands into a fist to settle myself down before I do something I would regret—or not regret.

"Easy, people," Major Byrne threatened.

"Give him to the grounders!" The man continues.

Raven and I have the same idea and charge for the man. Our vision only seeing red as we get the image of bashing this guy's teeth out.

However, neither of us get to live out the fantasy because we're both pulled backwards before we can get a hit in.

"You're going to make things worse, settle down," Bellamy whispers in my ear, his grip around my upper arm tightens a little. "We're going to work this out," he keeps saying, "Ignore them."

His comforting voice works and I can see clearly again, but I make sure to end with an evil glare towards the man. He doesn't even notice.

"Hey, Raven, Raven. Raven, listen to me. Nothing is gonna happen to him. I promise, ok?" Clarke says.

"I'm not dying for him." Another male screams, "Spacewalker burned 3 months of oxygen from the Ark. We should've floated him a long time ago. Throw him out!"

"Back off!" Raven yells and manages to get past the hands prying to stop her from starting a fight.

However Major Byrne steps in front of her, with a gun in hand. "Stop, Raven!"

Raven's hot anger gets the better of her and she punches Major Byrne in the face. My mouth drops open when Raven goes in for another hit, but she doesn't get the chance. Other guards grab her by the shoulders and take her away.

I watch Raven stumble besides the guards as they lead her inside what used to be the Ark. I'm not surprised by her anger and her irritation towards the men who would rather give up her ex boyfriend's life to save their own. Because I know if it was Bellamy's life on the life on the line, I would take down anyone who dared to take him away from me. Being able to relate to her only makes me want to fight for Finn even more than humanly possible because I know if for some reason we do lose him, there will be chaos.

* * *

Murphy, Finn, Clarke and I gather around outside the camp. No one's really talking to one another. Our heads are more focused on what we're going to do next. My mind was trying so hard to think of another plan other than giving Finn to the grounders, but it comes back blank every time. And I'm quickly getting frustrated...and scared.

"Hey, man. Byrne actually gave me a gun." Murphy holds up his hand gun. "I guess we really are screwed, huh?" No one laughs at his lame excuse to make a joke. He sighs and turns to Finn, "Look, we kicked their asses last time. We'll do it again."

"A lot of people died last time," Finn says.

"Hey," Bellamy walks up to us. "We're reinforcing all defenses. Doubles on the perimeter. No one's getting past that wire," He says it as if that's supposed to reassure us. However, it may give us more time.

"I'll see where they're thin," Finn offers.

"No. You should head inside. B corridor will be easier to defend if it comes to that," Bellamy tells him.

"I'm not gonna hide," Finn defends himself.

I narrow my eyes in Finn's direction, sensing his calm attitude towards all of this. How is he not freaking out right now? Hundreds of people want him dead. Brutally dead might I add, and he's acting so... _normal_. For as well as I know Finn, I could guess that he's feeling guilty. The weight of this entire camp's survival is on his shoulders. Right now we're choosing his life over the rest of the camp's lives - which means we're all going to be dead, including Finn, if we don't come up with something fast.

Clarke speaks up, "Right now, we have to think about keeping you safe. I'm gonna talk to Lincoln."

"Come on, Finn," Bellamy waves.

"Any orders for me, princess?" Murphy smirks in Clarke's direction.

His smirk and lack of concern makes me want to punch him in the face and knock some sense into him.

"Stay away from me," Clarke says.

"Just trying to be helpful," Murphy mutters.

Clarke turns around and snaps, "You were with him at the village."

"I tried to stop him."

"Not hard enough," Clarke scoffs.

Murphy huffed, "You know, you want to start blaming people, Clarke? He was out there looking for you!"

"Watch it, Murphy," I take a step forward and threaten.

Our disappearance, as well as the disappearance of the other 46 delinquents was not our fault and Murphy could have easily been number 49.

Although I hate to admit it, he has a point about Clarke. She has no room to blame other people, even Murphy, and Finn does have to be held accountable for his actions. It was Finn's choice to fire a gun like a maniac. Even if Murphy did try to stop him, what could he have honestly done?

Clarke walks away with that and I follow her out. Murphy rolls his eyes and walks the other way.

Clarke and I walk into Medical to see if we can talk to Lincoln. Abby and Octavia stand over Lincoln, who is strapped to the medical bed as if we was still a threat.

I offer a small comforting grin to Octavia and stand by her side as she stays glued to her boyfriend's side. All I can say is thank god Lincoln is okay. I can't imagine what Octavia would do if we lost him.

"Hang on," Clarke says, coming around to the other side of Lincoln's bed. She eyes the belts around his wrist and ankles with furrowed brows. "He's not a Reaper anymore. He doesn't need to be restrained."

"Yes, I do," Lincoln mumbles. He sounds ashamed and it breaks my heart. How he acted as a reaper was completely out of his control. But since he's such a good guy, he's placing the blame on himself.

I notice the frown on Octavia's lips and discreetly move my hand to hold hers, giving her a reassuring squeeze. Her lips slightly curve with a twitch, but to anyone else it's unnoticeable. Just between us.

"Just tell us," Abby says, "Is there a way to make peace?"

"Did she leave riders behind?"

"Two just outside the gate," I answer.

"They're waiting for Finn," Lincoln answers. "You don't have much time to decide."

"There's nothing to decide!" I say. "We can't give him up!"

I look over at Clarke who is just sitting there. My mouth gaps open when Clarke doesn't immediately back me up. Right now, I feel like Im fighting harder for her boyfriend than she is.

"She can't expect us to just hand over one of our own people." Octavia says and then looks down at her boyfriend, "Would she do that?"

"She wouldn't let the rest of her people die to protect a murderer." Lincoln says. "If you don't do this, she will kill everyone in this camp."

"There has to be something else that we can offer," Abby says.

"Finn took 18 lives. The commander's offering to take just one in return. Take the deal."

Finally Clarke says something in Finn's defense, "How can you say that? Finn was the first person to come to you to offer peace. He's your friend."

"He massacred my village. Some of the dead were my friends, too."

Now I feel guilty. Standing here in front of Lincoln while we try to come up with a plan to save the guy that murdered his friends must feel like a punch in the gut.

"But that wasn't Finn. You know that's not who he is!"

"It is now. We've all got a monster inside of us, Clarke, and we're all responsible for what it does when we let it out," Lincoln says, shutting us all up.

There was a moment of silence.

"What will they do to him?" Abby asks the question we're all scared to hear the answer for.

"Fire," Lincoln says. "Because he killed the innocent, it starts with fire."

"Starts?" I ask. My voice shakes and I don't feel strong at all.

Lincoln looks at me and his eyes soften. Just like Finn, I think he sees me as his little sister—someone he has to protect because of his relationship with Octavia.

"They'll take his hands. His tongue, his eyes. And anyone who grieves will have a turn with the knife. At sunrise, the commander will end it with her sword. But I've never known anyone to survive until the sword. He killed 18, he will suffer the pain of 18 deaths. Then we can have peace."

The room falls silent; although, I feel like I can hear everyone's loud heartbeats.

How can someone live like that? Find that okay? Who would even be able to watch that happen? Or do it themselves? I mean, I'm not the nicest person either when I think of revenge plots, but damn. I'm not that cruel. I'm still human.

I find myself taking steps backwards. My imagination is running everywhere as I picture this kind of torture.

"Casady…" Lincoln says softly, but I don't hear him. I'm already out the door.

"Casady!" I hear my name being called, but I ignore them. The only voice I want to hear is Lexa's dropping the deal. "Casady!"

I get to the gate and my hand reaches out to open it but someone grabs my shoulders and spins me around, gripping onto me tightly.

"Get off of me, Bellamy," I try shoving him away but he's too strong.

"What you're about to do is a big mistake!" He says. Frustrated tears spill down my face as I still struggle to break his hold on me. All I can see is Finn's dead body, his gory red body. I can stop it. I can _try_ to stop it. "Trust me, Cass…"

"She can't just do that!" I rip away from him. "She can't just take him away from us! She can't expect us to hand him over so willingly!"

"Shh," Bellamy brings me back in and wraps his arms around me while I cry into his chest.

"Don't let them take him away…" I cry, feeling useless and powerless.

* * *

Later that night, more grounders start to surround the camp either on horses or on their feet, chanting, "Jus drein jus daun! Jus drein jus daun!" Blood must have blood. The night sky is illuminated with their lit torches, and the sound of everyone's thumping hearts is almost melodic.

"What is that?" Finn asks, squinting at the hundreds of grounders that have come to take him away.

Standing next to him are Bellamy, Clarke, Abby, and I.

"This is it," Clarke said, turning to Finn, "We need to get you inside."

"They're trying to scare us," Bellamy says.

"I think we should pull back and go inside the station," Abby says.

"No," Clarke turns towards her mother, "We need to prove that we're not afraid."

"What if I am?" Abby retorts. I can see it in her eyes, Abby is terrified. She's scared for her life, her daughters' lives, the people of this camp, and letting Clarke make all the rules around here.

Clarke looks her mom up and down and with the most authoritative voice, says, "Fake it." She takes her mother… _our_ mother's hand and steps towards the gate.

Likewise, I wrap my arms around Bellamy's right arm and pull him closely into me.

"Open the gate," Abby demands of the guards at their post.

"Where's the boy?" One of the grounders asks.

"We're not giving him up," Abby says. Heat runs through my finger tips, and a smirk forms on my lips when I realize we finally got her to be on our side. "Were ready to fight if that's what it comes to."

The grounders don't have time to respond. The familiar fog horn roars in the evening light, scattering all the grounders back and out of sight.

Great, just what we need. Acid freaking fog.

Bellamy and I separate from each other, yelling out orders to the people around us—especially the ones who have no idea what that sound means.

"Watch the woods! Watch for movement!" Bellamy yells at the guards.

"Everyone, inside now!" I yell at the citizens of the Ark.

"Movement on the tree line!" A guard yells down to us.

Anyone with a gun holds them up, clicking off their safety clip and getting ready to take aim.

"Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" A deep male voice yells from the woods.

"Oh my god," I mumble.

Marcus Kane limps his way back to camp. He looks terrible. His beard has outgrown itself with specks of white hairs. His face is covered in mud and bright red scratches. His white T shirt that he wears is ripped and stain with dirt and blood as well as his pants. He holds his right arm across his stomach as if he had injured his shoulder.

"Marcus," I hear Abby gasp, watching her old friend intently.

"Chancellor," Marcus allows a smirk to play on his lips even under all that exhaustion.

"I was afraid that I wouldn't see you again," Abby says.

"I had those fears myself," Kane says, looking around the camp. "It's good to see this place again."

Despite the reunion, I think back to the horn and realize the fog must be close. I take a step forward and stand next to my mom. "We can't be out in the open much longer."

"It's safe for the moment," Kane tells me and lifts his arm, resting it on the small of my mom's back. I raise my eyebrows at the gesture. "Come on, we need to talk. We need to get somewhere safe."

* * *

While my mom, Jaha, and Kane held their own private meeting, I sat outside alone on a log before the fire. The grounders hadn't come back yet, but they will, soon after they realize that the fog horn was a trick, and they will be extra pissed.

I don't even try to sleep, knowing sure as hell that wasn't going to happen—especially with the thought that when I wake up, Finn won't be here any longer.

I watch Clarke help some little kid with a scratched up knee he got after playing soccer. Even with all this commotion between her and Finn, she distances herself to do what she's best at—taking care of people. I have no idea if I could be this calm if I were in her shoes. Finn is the man she loves! If Bellamy were in this position, I would be throwing tantrums and causing chaos. Maybe she's already come to terms with the settlement. Would that make her a bad person?

Someone comes to sit next to me by the fire. When I look over, I find Finn staring at me. When I look into his eyes, I don't see the killer the grounders are making him out to be. I see sincerity, love, and care glitter in his irises. Its crazy how much someone can do a complete 180 when the person they love is in danger.

"Please, don't give yourself up," I plead. I know that's what he's thinking. He's the kind of guy that will put our group - put Clarke before anything else. That's how he got himself in this dilemma in the first place. But I would fight by his side for years if it meant staying together and staying alive. "You think it will be best, but it wont. It will kill me and torture Clarke." At the sound of Clarke's name, Finn looks down guiltily. "Do this for Clarke. Fight for Clarke!"

"I did," Finn shakes his head. He looks up to stare into the fire and the orange glow changes his eyes into a stone cold glare. "That's why I am in this predicament. What I did, I did for her. I thought they had her and I was going to do whatever it took to get her back."

"You were scared," I shrug. "That's okay."

"Killing innocent people is not okay. I killed children, Casady. Even on the Ark, that's punishable by death." I bite my lip and stay silent. He's right. Death would be the consequence wherever we are. Maybe that's why Clarke isn't fighting so hard…because she already knows the end. "I'm in love with your sister, Cass," Finn admits. My heart flutters at the admiration behind his voice as he watches her with the kid. "I would never want to hurt her, you know that."

"Of course I know that."

"She puts on a tough exterior but deep inside, she's fragile." I narrow my eyes, confused as to why he was telling me this. "If this does go down the way it probably will—"

"Which it wont."

"Take care of her for me," Finn says. "As her sister, you will care for her way more than anyone in this camp can…well expect for her mom but even she seems to be distracted with her new job. I can trust you."

"Finn…"

"Please, Cass…"

"Of course, Finn. I won't let her out of my sight."

I pull my hand out of my pocket and hold up my pinky finger. He looks down at the finger and shakes his head, a chuckle slipping from his lips. He interlocks his pinky finger with mine and we make the promise official.

"Oh, and one more thing," Finn says before letting my pinky go. "If Bellamy Blake hurts you, I will climb out of my grave and kill him myself, got it?"

I take my pinky away and push him playfully. He puts his hands up in surrender then wraps one of his arms around my neck to bring me closer to him and kisses the top of my head.

"I love you, Cass," Finn says. "You're like the little sister I'm glad I never had."

I laugh, "I don't really know how to take that…"

"Just say you love me too."

"I love you too, Finn," I smirk.

Our moment was ruined when Bellamy jogs over to the two of us with a real serious look on his face. This grabs Clarke's attention and she walks away from the kid after bidding a goodbye. Finn and I untangle from our embrace and look up, worried.

Bellamy hesitates after seeing how close the two of us were. Then I realize how compromising that probably looked. However, I feel bad thinking it, but jealous Bellamy is kind of sexy.

"Finn," Bellamy addresses, "You need to get out of here."

"Where would he go?" Clarke asks.

"The dropship," Bellamy answers.

"No!" Clarke refuses. "You know that this is the safest place for him right now."

"It isn't if they're turning on him." Bellamy says, sending shivers down my spine. I knew it. Abby changed her mind. She's giving Finn up. "We can protect him at the dropship until we figure this thing out. Grab your gear and meet at Raven's gate in 5. She's already working on cutting the power to the fence."

"Okay," Finn stands up. "But nobody's coming with me."

"That isn't up for discussion."

"We are surrounded by grounders," Clarke said, taking Bellamy's side.

"If we split up, we take the low ground, we'll make it through. We'll meet at the dropship."

"There he is!" The same guy that yelled to give Finn over to the grounders earlier shouted. Around him were several others, as if plotting to take Finn with them. "You are gonna get us killed."

Bellamy steps forward and punches the guy to the ground. When he is finished, the guy's friends look at Bellamy with wide eyes.

"Anyone else?" Bellamy challenges.

"Bellamy's right. We have to go," Clarke says, noticing the amount of people who are getting ready to turn against Finn.

* * *

Raven over rides the power to the gate and shuts it off long enough for the four of us to slide out without being noticed. Immediately, we split up. Bellamy and I walk alone while Clarke and Finn walk in a different direction. The entire walk there, I am freaking out for both Clarke and Finn's safety as they travel the woods alone. They could easily be found by one of the hundreds of grounders that are getting more and more pissed off by the second.

"So, you and Finn were pretty close when I walked out," Bellamy tries to causally bring up what made him jealous earlier. He was still thinking about it, and that made me feel things that were very inappropriate for this time. "What were you guys talking about?"

"How madly in love we are with each other," I say sarcastically, but Bellamy's paranoia gets the best of him and he looks down at me with narrowed eyes. "I'm kidding, Bell! But you know if we weren't in the current situation were in right now, I would think this side of you is so hot…"

"What side?" Bellamy tries shaking it off.

"This jealous side of you," I answer. "It's kind of a turn on."

Bellamy stops walking abruptly, causing me to walk directly into his arm. He turns around and looks down at me with a smirk.

"What?" I play along.

"You can't just say that without expecting me not to kiss you."

"Do whatever you have to," I say with arms wide open.

We smile into the kiss. I wrap my arms around his neck and he walks me backwards into a tree. We stay there for a couple of seconds, and those seconds were pure bliss because it was like nothing bad was happening around us. Too bad we are in a real shit show in reality.

* * *

We walked to the dropship where Raven was already waiting, pacing the grounds that were still littered in human skeletons and terrifying memories. I still have nightmares where I see Bellamy getting violently beaten by a grounder.

"What took you guys so long?" Raven asks.

"We thought we heard something," I lie to save our asses. I definitely don't want to piss Raven of all people off right now. "So we changed our route."

"Come on, let's go inside," Bellamy directs her inside the dropship.

Raven's baby hairs stick to her forehead from the sweat sprinkled around her face and her palms are constantly shaking.

"Where's Clarke and Finn?" I ask once I notice they aren't here. If Bellamy and I stopped, they should have been here by now.

Unless they got the same idea.

"I just checked before you got here. There is still no sign of them," Raven answers. "We shouldn't have split up."

"Shh," I say as I hear the crunching of leaves from outside. "Someone's coming."

Bellamy and I raise our gun at the intruder who does not resemble Clarke or Finn.

Murphy looks at our pointed guns and raises his hands up in surrender, "Oh, hey, hey, hey!"

"Murphy!" I cry out in frustration, lowering my gun.

"What are you doing here?" Bellamy asks.

"I thought we could use an extra gun," Raven answers, throwing me off guard. Raven invited him? Plot twist. Didn't think she would want the extra guy holding a gun being the one that shot her in the leg in the first place.

Bellamy glances between Raven and Murphy and relucntantly agrees, "Might be a good idea."

"Finn should've been right behind you," Raven says to Murphy.

"Don't worry," Murphy says, "The spacewalker's gonna be fine."

For about an hour, the four of us wait in silence, drowning in our own throughts. Raven is giving herself high anxiety levels thinking about Finn out there alone when there is a whole grounder army after him. I am doing the same to myself, thinking of Clarke walking with Finn when he is on the Most Wanted List. I don't know what Bellamy and Murphy are thinking, but it's probably something similar.

When Finn and Clarke _finally_ arrive, Finn has Clarke in his arms, unconscious and limp.

I immediately spring up from my seat against the wall and push the hair out of Clarke's face. My heart beats faster by what feels like a thousand beats per second. Luckily, I see no blood.

"What the hell happened?" I demand.

"A grounder hit her on the head," Finn says.

"Put her here," Murphy offers the bench he was previously sitting on.

"I need a bandage, a rag…anything," I sputter. Of course the one good with medicine is the one knocked out.

"Got it," Murphy hands me the dirty rag. If I wasn't so focused on Clarke, I would be in shock from Murphy's abnormal kindness. "Here."

"Hold her head," I tell Bellamy.

Bellamy nods and sits underneath Clarke so that her head rests on his lap. Clarke's eyes start to flutter.

"Clarke, can you hear me?" I press a cold compress to her forehead and check to see how fast or how slow her pulse is.

"Clarke, you're gonna be fine," Bellamy says. "You just need to rest."

"Hey," Raven says. I look behind me and see that she's not talking to either of us, but to Finn who has his back turned and a hand pressed against his mouth. "It's just a bump on the head. Clarke's gonna be ok," Raven reassures him. She stuffs her hands in her pockets and tilts her head. "Are you?" Finn doesn't reply, just stares. "We'll figure this out."

Finn grunts, "That's what she said," He points to Clarke. "Right before I almost got her killed."

* * *

Later in the night we camp out and take a a few hours to try and relax ourselves. Truth is, we don't have much of a plan. Sooner or later, Abby is going to notice we're gone and send guards out to look for us. And the first spot their gonna check will be this one because it's predictable. It's each of our homes. Its our safe haven.

"Still nothing?" Finn looks over at me and then to Clarke's sleeping figure.

Raven who is sitting next to him pats him gently on the thigh, "Just give her a little time."

Finn pauses, turning his head to watch Raven's comforting composure. "I never meant to hurt you."

"I know," Raven nods. And for the first time, I can finally see that she's okay with the love that he and Clarke have. "Truth is, things change. Maybe that's for the best."

Truth is, things do change. On the Ark I was an only child with a dead mother. Now, I have a sister and a mother. I never knew what real love was until Bellamy showed me here on Earth. Life can send you curve balls, it's just a matter of whether you foul them out or make them a homerun.

"Don't let me off the hook so easy," Finn scoffs, although delighted to hear that he is out of the dog house.

"We'll always be family."

"Always," Finn nods

Besides me, Clarke groans and reaches for my hand while trying to sit herself up.

"Hey, told you she'd be okay," Raven says.

"Ah," Clarke groans, holding her head.

"How's your head?" Finn asks, running to her aid.

"Awesome," She answers sarcastically.

"When you went down…" Finn says regretfully, "I thought you were dead…because of me."

"I'm right here," She grabs his hand.

"I've killed so many people," Finn says. Raven and I glance at each other, both feeling that deep hit in the bottom of our stomachs.

"Finn, the things that we've done to survive…they don't define us."

"What if you're wrong? What if this is who we are now?"

"We got company!" Bellamy barges through the dropship door with a gun locked and loaded. "Get down! Grounders!"

We walk behind Bellamy outside the dropship. Thousands of grounders surround the camp just like they did at Camp Jaha—not moving, not speaking. We stand in a straight line, observing the nature of the grounders. Even without making sudden movements, they're super threatening.

"They're not moving any closer," Murphy says.

"Staying out of range," Bellamy says, "Probably waiting until it's dark."

"If we hit them now, at least we'd take them by surprise," Murphy suggests.

"We don't even know how many are out there," I roll my eyes at Murphy.

"Well I'm not hearing any better ideas, Casady," Murphy scoffs.

"We'll give them something," Raven tries.

"All they want is Finn," Bellamy rebuttals.

"Finn wasn't the only one at the village," Raven says.

The rest of us tilt our heads at her. "What are you talking about?" Clarke asks.

"Raven, hold on," Bellamy holds out his hand to silence her from speaking any further. Apparently, he knew what she was talking about.

Raven stops speaking, but glares at Murphy. Then two and two click into place.

Murphy starts to freak out when he puts the pieces together too, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Raven, I came here to protect him. You were the one who wanted me to come. You... That's why you asked me to come along."

Wow, Raven was good. It was a bitchy move, but it was smart. However, I disagree with it.

"Enough grounders saw him at the village," Raven pitched, "They'd believe he was the shooter."

"Sick, bitch," Murphy snaps.

"Raven," Clarke gasps, "You don't mean this."

"You know what they do to people," Bellamy added.

"They want a murderer, we'll give them one," Raven raises her gun and points it at Murphy, "Drop your gun."

"Go to hell, Raven," Murphy growls.

"Put it down, Raven," Clarke demands. "Like it or not, he's one of us."

"I said drop it," Raven ignores the rest of us and keeps her killer glare on Murphy.

Suddenly, Finn storms out of the dropship and stands in the middle of Raven and Murphy. "Stop! Stop! We're not doing this. They've got us surrounded. The only thing we can do is stay. And defend this place."

"I'm with Finn on this one," I nod at Finn. He gives me a grateful nod back.

"Murphy…"

"Yeah?" Murphy glares.

"Go upstairs with Casady," Finn tells him. "Watch the rear. I'll take the lower level." Then he points to Bellamy, Clarke, and Raven, "You three, take the front gate. That's the plan. All right?"

All of us silently nod our head and dismiss to our places.

"Wait, Cas!" Bellamy grabs my arm as I turn away. I look up at him with a raised eyebrow. "If he tries anything up there, shoot him."

I roll my eyes playfully. Here's jealous Bellamy again. I raise to my tippy toes and kiss his cheek.

"I'll hit him where it hurts," I smirk.

"That's my girl," Bellamy grins, pecks my lips with a kiss and then saunters off to be with Raven and Clarke.

"You know if I wanted to nail you, I would have done it by now," Murphy says, leading us into the drop ship and the upstairs.

"You're just mad that you lost your chance," I smirk.

Truthfully, I didn't mind working with Murphy for the next several hours. I think he has grown since he had been banished from the dropship campsite. I don't find him as threatening anymore. Instead, he's become someone who just really wants to fit in, and if that means kissing Bellamy's ass, then so be it. Although, he has always been pretty good at that.

"Hey, nothing stops me from getting what I want," Murphy points at me.

I roll my eyes, "Yeah okay."

We sat in silence for the first couple of minutes, fiddling with our guns, listening for movement, and minding our own damn business. But our job was over as soon as it started when we heard an ear piercing scream, "Finn!"

By the time, Murphy and I reached the front gate, it was already too late. Finn was standing in front of the army of grounders with his hands up in the air. Bellamy had to hold back a hysteric Raven, and Clarke was frozen in shock. Obviously this had been a set up and Finn knew he was going to give himself away this entire time.

* * *

There was nothing else we could do but go back to camp and tell Abby and Kane what had happened. To say Abby was pissed was an understatement. Her silence was more terrifying than any kind of strike she could have ordered against us. So she walked away and didn't say a word, making us feel like Finn's surrender was all our fault.

The grounders set up a wooden post that Finn will soon be tied up against. The images my mind is projecting is enough to make tears rim the bottom of my eyelids and my stomach turn sour.

The citizens of Camp Jaha stand near the gate, watching and gossiping about their next view of "entertainment." Some people are relieved to have the person who was putting the entire camp at risk captured and being put to death, others hate the outcome but know they can't do anything about it. If you ask me, I would be sprinting over there right now if I could, but I know the guards and even Bellamy would hold me back from doing something so reckless.

"We're gonna get him," Bellamy says. The tone in his voice isn't as confident as it usually is when he gives an order. It makes me believe that he's convincing himself more than he cares about convincing us. "We'll get in close and we'll hit them hard."

Kane shakes his head, "Son... there's thousands of them. Even if we could kill hundreds, they'd still wipe out this camp and your friend would still die."

"We have to try."

"Abby," Raven tries convincing my mother. Clarke and I share a look, knowing our mother isn't going to give in now. "We have to do something."

"No, Raven." Like I thought, Abby gives no more fucks. To her, the problem is long gone.

Clarke walks over to me when she sees no guards are paying attention to her. She gives me her gun and says, "Take this."

"What are you doing?" Bellamy asks, watching the exchange worriedly.

"I'm gonna talk to the commander," Clarke says.

"What else do you have to say?" I ask. "Clarke, I was with you when we met her, she is not going to agree to anything else we have to offer—even Lincoln said so."

"I don't know! I don't know!" Clarke paces. It's not like Clarke to feel helpless and that's what is sending her into a world of panic.

"Clarke…" I sigh.

This whole thing is different for Clarke than it is the rest of us…well except Raven. She is in love with Finn and he is about to die and no matter what we can say to her, she is going to take the blame for it.

Raven walks over and demands quietly to Clarke, "Give me your hand." Clarke obliges and holds out her palm. Raven stealthily places a small dagger and closes my sister's fingers around it. "If she won't let him go, kill her. Things'll go crazy, and we'll grab you and Finn. Clarke. You have to help him. I owe him my life."

Clarke nods and takes a deep breath.

"If you're going to go, go now," I tell her, glancing back at our mom who is too busy to notice as she speaks with Kane.

I can't believe I am letting her do this.

Clarke nods again and steps out of the front gate and begins walking to the grounders. Having recognized her before, they don't fight her off, but instead make an isle for her to enter.

"Clarke!" Abby screams behind us. She jogs over to me and without taking her eyes off of Clarke she asks, "What is she doing?"

"Wait, Abby!" Kane calls out behind her. Abby and I both turn around. "Gotta let her try."

Bellamy takes a hold of my hand that I didn't even know was clenched into a fist. I take a deep breath while I watch Clarke communicate with Lexa.

After talking to Lexa, Clarke walks over to Finn slowly. The grounder party watches her with confusion but they don't question her since she was just talking to Lexa, who seems to be content.

I wish we could hear what they're saying, but the moment Clarke and Finn have is filled with intimacy and raw love. She leans over and hugs him but her right hand doesn't wrap around his waist. Her hand lays on his stomach—the hand that holds Raven's knife.

"Oh my god," I let go of Bellamy's hand and grab onto the fence, clutching it with dear life.

Raven starts shaking, her hands are trembling, and her eyes fill with red hot rage, and she starts screeching.

Clarke steps away from Finn. His head drops to his chest, her hand glows under the grounder's fire with red blood that matches the blood on Finn's white shirt.

Raven starts clawing at the cage, crying out in desperation and in boiling hot rage, "No! No! No! No! No!" It takes Bellamy and another guard to hold her back from stepping outside this gate and killing Clarke too.

I can only stare in shock, unmoving and cold.

Clarke just killed Finn.


	22. Remember Me

**Episode: Remember Me**

* * *

At first I was in denial. There was no way that Clarke just killed Finn—she would never stand there and willingly shove a dagger through Finn's chest. There was just no way! But then reality set in as I watched Finn's body slump to the ground after being untied from his stake. I watched as his body didn't move—he just lied there, pale, bloody and broken. After that, I started to feel hot rage tingle throughout my body. Not at Clarke—because for some reason, I believed what she did was the best for Finn. Who knows what kind of torture the Grounders would put him through? My anger was directed towards the Grounders and their commander Lexa, and how easy it is for them to kill our own for the sake of revenge. I mean, they killed dozens of our people and you don't see us rioting to avenge their killers. Bunch of hypocrites if you ask me.

I walk over to the other side of Grounder territory with Raven, Abby, and Kane. Abby and Kane follow Clarke into one of the tents where she tries to frantically wipe the blood off of her hands. But I know those hands will be stained forever.

Raven kneels next to Finn's body where she openly cries, hovering over her ex boyfriend and holding his hand tightly. I'm about to walk over there and try to softly talk her down from the hysteria she is currently going through—not that it would help or that she would even listen to me, but it was worth a try. However, I'm stopped by the Grounder Gustus, Lexa's right hand man.

"The commander is ready to talk," Gustus says. His eyes are squinting in a glare, his hands are bunched up in fists at his side, and his lips are curled in a snarl.

"She can speak to Clarke without me," I glare right back, tilting my head up so I could see his cold eyes. "If I go in there, it might get messy."

I'm about to walk past him but his hands grab my arm tightly. "Did you just threaten the Commander?"

I don't speak. Yeah, I might have just dug my own grave but I was too stubborn to swallow my pride. I didn't know what I could say to make what I said go away—I only know what to say to make it worse.

"Hey, hey, hey," Bellamy jogs over us and rips his hand away from my arm. I glare up at the Grounder. "We've all been through a lot recently. Let's just take a breather." The Grounder leaves without saying another word—just a threatening glance my way before he disappears into Lexa's tent. Bellamy sighs and looks down at me, "Are you insane?"

"Lexa is the reason that Finn is dead!" I exclaim. "I can't look at her right now."

"So you're not mad at Clarke?"

"It may be hard to see it this way, but Clarke actually did Finn a favor. If she hadn't of done that, death by the Grounders would have been so much worse. I mean, there was no way we were getting Finn back to our side. We all would have died in that battle."

I walk over to Raven where she still cries and grieves. I forget about the comforting words I was going to say to her and instead, I sit next to Finn's body and stay silent. This lets her know I'm here if she wants to talk but I'm also here if she just wants some silent company. No one deserves to be alone while being in so much pain.

About ten minutes later, Clarke walks out from the Grounder's tent and to Raven and I. She looks down at Finn's body. Her eyes are clouded and no longer have that spark in them like she did weeks ago. I can't help but glance down at her hands that still have the red tint in them.

"Go away," Raven barks when Clarke approaches.

I frown. Clarke glances over at me, reading my expression to see what my feelings were. I know I said Clarke did the right thing, but I'm still numb and upset.

"Raven, I'm sorry," Clarke says, but I know she didn't just come over here to apologize.

Raven stands up and charges after Clarke. "I said go away!"

"I know how hard this must be for you but I'm leaving with the Grounders and I need you to work on the radio."

A couple of Grounders walk past us and over to Finn's body. One stands by his head and the other by his feet. They lift our friend and begin to walk away with him.

"What are you doing?" Raven whips around. "What are you doing?"

"We need to take him—"

"Like hell you do!" Raven cuts her off. "Get off!" She demands of the Grounders.

Clarke looks over at the Grounders and nods her head, "Give us a minute, please." The Grounders surprisingly listen and set the boy down. "Raven."

"You agreed to this?" Raven looks at her incredulously.

"We're taking him back to the village where the massacre took place, there's a death ritual. It's the only way to get our people out of Mount Weather."

Raven swallows her anger and glares. "Then I'm coming too. And don't worry, I'll bring your damn radio."

Raven shoves past Clarke and out of view where she storms off to the other side of camp. Clarke looks over at me again and this time I offer a sympathetic smile.

"I believe you did the right thing, sis." I nod. "But you have to give Raven time. This is her first big loss since we've been down here. It's gonna take time for her to see things clearly."

Clarke nods. She watches the Grounders pulls Finn's body away and onto a stretcher where he will be wrapped up in cloth and transported to Tondc with the rest of us.

* * *

I walk behind Clarke and Bellamy and in front of Abby and Kane as we walk together to Tondc. The Grounder army leads the rest of us through the woods, talking amongst themselves in a language I'm only beginning to learn. I have no doubt in my mind they're talking about us and our new alliance. I can see it in their eyes how unhappy they are with the decision to join together and fight against the Mountain Men.

"Lincoln should teach us how to speak their language," I say, glancing over at Octavia who walks closely next to me. "Eavesdropping will be a lot easier if we knew what they were saying."

Octavia smirks, "I'm sure that won't be a problem. He really likes you, you know."

"Are we still talking about Lincoln?" I raise an eyebrow.

Octavia laughs, "Yes! He looks at you the way Bellamy looks at me. You must remind him of someone back in Tondc."

My smile fades away. If that were true, I could only hope that that person didn't die under Finn's hands.

"Hey, you doing alright?" Bellamy asks Clarke.

"Yeah," Clarke replies, but I know she's lying. So does Bell.

"You did the right thing," Bellamy says.

"Now I get to live with it. You still think this truce is a bad idea, don't you?"

"I think we're wasting our time on politics while our friends are in trouble," Bellamy replies honestly.

"We need their army to get to Mount Weather, Bellamy and you know it."

"Their army has been getting their ass kicked by Mount Weather forever. What we need is an inside man. Someone to be our eyes and ears."

I glance at Octavia who has the same worried look on her face at what Bellamy was suggesting.

"Forget it, it's too dangerous," Clarke shakes her head.

"Clarke if you can make it out, I can make it in."

"I said no," Clarke says.

Bellamy rolls his eyes, "Since I don't take orders from you, I'm gonna need a better reason."

Clarke sighs and looks over at him. "I can't you lose you too. Okay?"

* * *

We reach Tondc by nightfall. The people who live here wear sullen faces, dark masks, and heavy clothes. They stare at me and my people with pure hatred and I don't blame them.

A particular angry Grounder who wanted us nowhere near his home walks over and starts barking at Lexa about how we should all die and all take the fault for Finn's mistake. At least that's what Lincoln translated. He probably left out the nastiest of it.

"The Sky People march with us now. Anyone who tries to stop that will pay with their life." Lexa addresses the entire Grounder population of Tondc. Although they hate the Commander's decision, they don't refute.

"Warm welcome," I mutter under my breath.

The Grounders set up a table of wood and lay Finn's wrapped body on top of it. We gather around it with watery eyes and empty hearts.

I watch as Lexa approaches the body with a torch lit up in flames.

"People of Tondc. In fire we cleanse the pain of the past." Lexa pauses and glances at my sister. I stop to glance at her too. Clarke seems just as confused. "Clarke." Lexa offers the torch to Clarke who hesitantly takes it. Even the Grounders around us watch in surprise.

Clarke pauses to stare at the body of the love of her life. Something stops her first and then with a final thought, she lowers the torch and Finn's body lights up.

"Yu gonplei ste odon," Clarke says.

I know that one. _Your fight is over._

A final tear runs down my face. I feel Bellamy's hand close in mine.

* * *

The Grounders lead us to small dining area that looks to be an old train station from back before the nuclear war. It's dirty but they make it work.

A long rectangular table stretches out to fill the entire room so everyone has a seat. Lexa sits in the middle with her Grounder bodyguards beside her, one of them being Gustus. – my least favorite Grounder other than Lexa.

Clarke sits in the middle, directly across from Lexa. I sit on one side of her and Abby on the other. Next to me is Bellamy, next to Bellamy is Octavia, and next to Octavia is Lincoln.

Kane is the last to step through the door, holding a clear bottle of moonshine. I watch as the liquid swooshes throughout the bottle with each step he takes and it brings back the memories of every time Monty made the camp a batch—how drunk we would get and the rare times where we would laugh together while playing pointless drinking games.

"Please accept this gift, Commander." Lexa takes the bottle from Kane and passes it over to Gustus. "We drink this at special occasions. I believe this qualifies."

Lexa nods, "Thank you Marcus of the Sky People."

"You're welcome, Lexa…kom trikru. Just uh don't drink too much of it."

Lexa nods and directs her attention over to Clarke. "Clarke, let us drink together."

"It would be my pleasure," Clarke nods.

Gustus finds two wine glasses and pours the liquor into each of them, handing one to his commander and the other one to Clarke.

"Heda, allow me," Gustus offers, taking the glass out of Lexa's hand to taste test it, making sure nothing is wrong with it.

My eyes roll as I watch him kiss Lexa's ass.

He hands her the glass back and Lexa nods gratefully. "Today we celebrate our peace, tomorrow we plan our war. To those we've lost, to those we shall soon find."

Clarke and Lexa raise their glasses to their mouth, about to take a sip when Gustus starts to seize and collapses. My eyes go wide as I make the connection between him and the drink. It's poison.

I stare at Clarke's wine glass and knock it right out of her hands before she can even think about taking a sip out of it.

"This wasn't us!" Clarke cries. White foam starts to come out of Gustus's mouth. "You have to know this wasn't us!" She desperately tries to convince the Commander, but Lexa's expression doesn't change from pissed off.

Lexa demands something of her army in her native language. I don't understand her, but it sounds nasty.

Then Indra yells something ferociously at them too.

Next thing I know, we're all being pushed up against the wall, getting felt up by the Grounders, searching our pockets and shoes.

"No, no, no! We didn't do this!" Clarke screams.

"Gustus warned me about you but I didn't believe him," Lexa sneers.

"Lexa, please—"

"Tell me something Clarke, when you plunged the knife into the heart of the boy you loved, did you not wish that it was mine?"

Gustus moves over to Raven and pats her down from head to toe. When he reaches her jacket pocket, he pulls something out of it and examines it. It's a small plastic bag filled with some sort of white powder.

"Heda," He calls out and holds up the poison.

My eyes go wide and my head snaps back and forth from the bag to Lexa. There was no way that bag could have been hers! Yeah, Lexa was a pain in the ass but she would never go as far as to kill her—especially not with an amateur plan like this one.

"That's not mine!" She yells, not only trying to convince Lexa's people, but ours too.

"This was in her coat," Gustus continues.

I look at Clarke for help. I plead with my eyes for her to believe Raven, for her to do something for her. If anyone could persuade Lexa, it would be her.

"I'm telling you it's not mine! He put it there when he searched me!"

I can see it in her eyes that Raven is telling the truth. She's not one to show fear easily and right now, she's terrified. If she really did do this, she would have accepted the consequences and gone down with all her dignity.

"No Sky Person leaves this room!" Lexa screams.

"Do something," Octavia urges Lincoln who looks conflicted between his people and ours.

Lincoln nods and walks towards Indra, speaking in their native language. However, it only seems to piss Indra off because she says something back angrily, and walks out of the room without a second glance.

Lexa storms out of the room with her Grounder army trailing right behind her, leaving the Sky People alone in the dining room.

All I can do is watch Raven hopelessly as she sinks into one of the chairs dejectedly. It doesn't look good for her. There's physical evidence and she has a motive that no one is talking about – Lexa is the reason her ex boyfriend is dead.

My chest tightens with anxiety at the thought of losing Raven right after losing Finn. I don't think I'd be able to calmly handle it if the Grounders took her away from me too.

I fall into Bellamy's chest as he rubs soothing circles on my arms. The rest of our people take a seat and wait in silent anticipation. Bellamy leads me to a seat of my own so we can do the same thing.

A couple of minutes later, Clarke walks over to where Raven is sitting. However, she doesn't look at her with empathy or understanding. Her eyes are condescending and blaming. She can't seriously be mad at Raven, could she?

"Raven, I need to know the truth."

I stand up, gaining Clarke's attention and shaking my head, "Clarke, stop."

Deep down, I know that Raven didn't do this. We just need to find a way to prove it to the other Grounders.

"I'd step back if I was you," Raven glares at my sister.

Clarke doesn't stand down from mine or Raven's warning. She keeps her eyes trained on Raven accusingly. I know it's going to get ugly real fast, but Clarke's not listening to any reason.

"You wanted to kill Lexa last night. If you tried to poison her, I need to know."

Raven steps out of line and swings a hit at Clarke's face. Clarke groans and covers her mouth, spitting out some blood.

"You're the only murderer here!"

Clarke looks away and stares at something in the distance. Her eyes narrow and her once accusing hard face has now turned into a helpless frown. "Leave me alone. You gave me no choice, why did you turn yourself in?"

The rest of the room looks at her like she's crazy. She's literally talking to no one.

Abby stands up and guides Clarke to the other side of the room.

"Listen to me Clarke, I know how you feel. But the pain will never go away but Lexa's wrong, you won't be haunted by this forever. The pain will fade. What got me through was loving you." Abby touches Clarke's cheek tenderly, but Clarke moves out of her way. "What is it?"

"You're talking about dad?" Clarke sounds astounded. "What I did to Finn was nothing like what you did to him!"

"Don't do this now, Clarke!" Abby warns.

"I was protecting everyone. I didn't have a choice. You did!"

"No!"

"You turned him in!"

"I trusted Thelonious to talk to your father and convince him not to go public!"

Clarke fights back, "You knew dad would never stop! You knew what would happen to him!"

"I was protecting everyone too! I was protecting you!"

The anger falls off of Clarke's face and it changes into one of surprise, "We are the same."

This is exactly what we don't need right now. Everyone turning on each other with their built up frustrations. The only way we're going to get through this is if we can talk to one another without getting into fights.

I sit in dead silence as I try to come up with a hundred different ways we could prove that Raven didn't do this. But as time ticks by, my useless brain comes up with nothing.

"Hey," Bellamy says, placing his finger underneath my chin so I look at him. "We'll figure something out."

I shake my head. "The Grounders don't listen. They think Raven did it. Nothing is going to change their minds. We're screwed."

Octavia sighs and turns to Lincoln, "Can't you do something?"

Lincoln shakes his head regretfully, "They think of me as a traitor. As one of you. My words would have no effect on their decision."

Kane stands up and addresses the room, "Tearing each other and yourself apart isn't a way to get through this." Kane looks at Clarke. "Lexa needs this alliance just as much as we do. She's shown herself to be flexible, she listens to you."

"She thinks we tried to kill her," Clarke scoffs.

"We know we didn't," Kane glances back at Raven. "So let's figure out who did. Who would want her dead?"

Lincoln answers, "Too many to count. Forming the alliance was a risk. Especially with what Finn did at the village."

"So it had to be someone trying to break the alliance," Octavia says.

The Grounders burst through the door again, dozens of them crawl in with angry faces.

Lincoln stands up, "How's Gustus?"

"Gustus is okay," One of them answers.

Indra steps in front and glares at Raven. "Take her away."

Grounders shove past my friends and I as we fight to protect Raven. Being as stubborn and as a strong-willed as she is, Raven tries fighting off the Grounders that come to take her. But the Grounders are undeniably stronger and Raven is shoved out of the room.

"Wait wait what are you doing?" Lincoln calls out after her.

"She didn't poison anyone!" Bellamy punches a few Grounders and tries to push his way through to get our friend.

My heart pounds in my chest as I realize that Raven is going down for a crime she didn't commit. I know this is wrong, yet all I can do is sit on my hands and watch as she stumbles to her death.

I can't let her die. I couldn't protect Finn, and because of that, I lost him forever. I wasn't going to let that happen to Raven too.

"I argued for all of you to die, but the Commander is merciful. She wants only one," Indra growls.

"She's innocent," Lincoln says.

"I don't care! They move, they bleed!"

"Hey stop!" Octavia cries. "Let her go!"

"The rest of you are free," Indra says. "When she is dead so is the alliance. You should run."

* * *

Raven is brought outside, a couple feet from where Finn's body was just burning. I could still smell the smoke on the clothes of the people that surround me. They tie Raven to a wooden stake, similar to the one where Finn was tied up when Clarke stabbed him. A growl slips from my lips, frustrated that this has gone too far.

They begin the ritual of the 100 cuts. Each Grounder takes a turn running a blade down Raven's skin. As hard as she's trying not too, she cries out in agony from the torture she's enduring. My heart skips a beat every time a new Grounder approaches and breaks her down even more. Every Grounder's eyes are cold. They're scary, and I hate that they're gonna be the last face she see.

I watch helplessly next to Bellamy and Octavia. I wonder if they're thinking what I'm thinking?

Is this how it felt like to be Finn? Did he feel as humiliated as she does as she stands here, dying in front of her friends?

Finally, Lexa approaches her. Raven's strong, but she's not this strong. She can't even find the strength to muster up a glare at the Commander.

"I take no joy in this, Raven, but this time justice will be done," She says.

"I didn't do it," Raven squeaks. "How is that justice?"

Lexa doesn't respond. Instead, she raises her own blade and cuts the deepest slash in her arm. Indra walks up next and slashes her stomach. I can see the glint of joy in her eyes as she makes that cut.

Adrenaline and fear rush over me in an overwhelming wave as I realize I'm running out of time to make this right. _Think, Casady, think!_

Poisoning the liquor had to be done by someone who wanted to kill the alliance, not Lexa. If Raven wanted to kill Lexa, the Commander would have already been dead. Raven's not a fool. Kane was the one to hand over the liquor to Lexa in the first place, but Kane wanted the alliance as much as we did. Next one to come into contact with the liquor was Gustus…

That's when it clicks in my brain. That son of a bitch! He's the only one that took a sip and collapsed. He was the only one that drank, and it was from Lexa's cup. Did he set this up? Did he slip something in Lexa's glass to make it look like it was poisoned by us? I don't think his intention was to hurt Lexa. I think he risked his own life to kill our alliance because he was just that desperate.

Gustus never touched the liquor bottle itself. So if I can prove that the liquor bottle isn't poison, maybe I can save Raven.

"Talk to them!" I hear Octavia scream at Lincoln. "These are your people!"

"Not anymore," I hear Lincoln say.

"Stop!" I scream, grabbing everyone's attention.

Everyone watches me as if I had just grown two heads. My people stare at me with wide eyes and fear. The Grounders look pissed that I ruined their sadistic ritual. _Freaking psychos._

I can't hear anything around me other than my heart beating against my chest. This may be one of the dumbest things I have done, but I can't let Raven die for a crime she didn't do it. I have to at least try.

"Casady, stop. What are you doing? You'll get yourself killed," Bellamy says urgently, but I don't listen to him.

"I need that bottle, now!" I demand of the Grounders. One of them glances at Lexa for approval and leaves to go get it. "One of your people tried to kill you, Lexa. Not one of mine."

"You should have run," Indra threatens me. Although I find Indra to be really scary, I swallow my fears and stand tall in front of her.

"I can prove it," I fight.

Yep, definitely the dumbest thing I have ever done. I really hope I'm right about this.

I take the bottle from one of the Grounders and lift it to my lips, chugging down two large gulps.

I ignore the intense burning in my throat and the need to gag after drinking what tastes like fire water. My stomach churns and my warmth spreads throughout my body, but nothing else happens. For a minute, wait in silence for the reaction that Gustus had. But my body doesn't do anything of the sorts. It just craves more of the "relaxing juice" as I like to call it.

Lexa narrows her eyes and she appears to be confused, "Explain," she says.

"The poison wasn't in the bottle, it was in the cup." I explain. My eyes drift over to Raven who looks physically and emotionally exhausted.

"A trick commander, do not be fooled," Gustus says from behind me.

Raven lifts her head as much as she can to watch me prove the Grounders wrong. I catch a small glint in her eye and it gives me the courage to keep going.

"It was you," Bellamy walks up next to me and points accusingly at Gustus. "He tested the cup, he searched Raven."

"Gustus would never harm me," Lexa denies.

"You weren't the target," Bellamy shakes his head. "The alliance was."

"We didn't do this," Clarke steps forward, speaking for the first time since we've been outside, "and you know it."

Lexa turns around and narrows her eyes at Gustus, speaking something in her language.

He responds, "This alliance would cost you your life Heda. I could not let that happen."

I immediately take off towards Raven at the sound of Gustus's confession. Despite how much I want to kill him for tricking his people into doing this to my friend, I only want Raven off the stake and for Abby to tend to her wounds so she can be safe again.

"Thank you," Raven chokes out a whisper. Its barely audible.

"Shh," I move her hair out of her eyes, "You're going to be alright."

Bellamy walks behind her to cut the ties around her wrists and ankles. Octavia stands next to me with a blanket ready to cover Raven who is physically shivering in front of us from all the blood loss.

"This treachery will cost you yours," Lexa tells Gustus. "Put him on the tree!"

Gustus takes Raven's place against the stake and he's given the same treatment she was just put through. I watch numbly. I don't feel any remorse for what I did. His pain-filled grunts don't bother me, and I couldn't care less that he was going to be dead in the next couple of minutes because of me. He deserved it.

I sit next to Raven on a log to the side behind the crowd. Bellamy stands in front of me constantly looking between Raven and I. I can tell he's frustrated with me because of how reckless I was back there. I could have easily been wrong, and I could have died for just accusing another Grounder. Trust me, they've killed for less. But he doesn't say anything because I think he's more grateful that I actually was right and that Raven is safe again.

"This is what would've happened to Finn," Raven's eyes grow wide in realization. Her eyes slowly move up to meet Clarke's. I'm glad she's finally seeing things clearly again.

Lexa steps forward, making the last and final cut on Gustus.

"Yu gonplei ste odon," Lexa says before drawing her sword. She slowly eases the sword through his stomach, killing him slowly and painfully.

* * *

Because it's too late in the night to head back into camp, we stay the night in Tondc after getting the "okay" from Lexa and the villagers. We make our own fire right outside of camp and gather around it.

"How did you know it was Gustus?" Lincoln asks Bellamy and I.

"He'd do anything to protect her," Bellamy says. I feel his arm tighten around me shoulders, and I can't help but smile. "So it made sense."

"And look at the thanks he got," Octavia scoffs.

Raven comes running to the fire with the radio in her hand. The rest of us stand up and crowd around her. "Guys! Listen to this!"

The radio statics to life. It's hard to comprehend what the other person is saying, but I recognize Monty's voice on repeat. "46 of us are trapped inside Mount Weather. We don't know how much time we have left, please hurry."

"Talk to him, say something!" Clarke says.

"It's repeating," Raven says.

"We need to do this now," Bellamy says. "We've got the alliance. Now is the time to use it."

Clarke nods, "We need an inside man." She looks over at Bellamy. "You were right. Without someone on the inside to lower their defenses, turn off the acid fog, an army's useless. You should go."

"What?" I glance between my sister and my boyfriend and shake my head. "No way."

"I thought you hated that plan," Bellamy says, ignoring me. "That I would get myself killed."

Something inside Clarke changed, "I was being weak, it's worth the risk." She hands Bellamy a rolled up piece of paper. "My map of Mount Weather. Find a way to get on that radio and talk to us. Good luck."

"Bell how are you gonna—"

Lincoln cuts Octavia off, "I can get you through the tunnels."

"You can't go back there, not yet," Octavia argues with Lincoln. Thank god someone else is on my side.

"Bell—"

"I have to do this," Bellamy says, looking down at me. He leans down and kisses my head. "Someone has to if we want to get our friends out of there."

"Why does it have to be you? If it were me or Octavia sacrificing ourselves you would be so quick to tell us no."

"You've already been there. If you go, they will recognize you. But I can do this."

"If you go, there's a chance I might never see you again. I just got you back, please don't leave me again!"

"Cass," Clarke says softly. I look over my shoulder and glare at her. "He's our best chance and deep down you know he has to do this."

"I love you, Cass," Bellamy takes my hands in his and pleads with me through his eyes. I can't help but melt as I look in there, and suddenly I feel the waterworks again. "But I have to go."

I reluctantly nod and wrap him in my arms for a hug. "I love you too."

"Let me show you what to look for," Raven say softly as Bell and I pull away.

Bellamy nods and casts on last glance at me before walking off with Raven.

"Let's face it together," Octavia fights with Lincoln. "Let me come with you."

Lincoln shakes his head. "No. You're needed here. You know our ways. Without that, this alliance will fail."

Octavia reluctantly nods, understanding. "I won't let that happen."

"I know you won't."

"Clarke," Abby approaches with a canister. "This is for you. Finn's ashes from the pyre. I thought you could scatter them somewhere. It might help you say goodbye."

Clarke shakes her head. "I've already said goodbye."

Clarke walks away without glancing at any of us. Abby looks at me confused but I only stare at the back of Clarke's head. She's changing into Lexa, and that's gonna really suck.


	23. Survival of the Fittest

**A/N: If you guys are liking this story please leave me reviews! I would love some feedback and just motivation to keep writing chapters because I love doing it and would love to know you're thoughts too.**

 **Episode: Survival of the Fittest**

* * *

The next night, we split off into groups. Kane and Abby take Indra and the other Grounders from her army back to our campsite to learn each other's fighting skills. As they leave, I think about how happy I am to not be a part of the group. I can already picture the amount of fights and disagreements they're going to get in because of vast differences of opinions.

I am told to follow Clarke and Lexa back into the dining area where I could have eaten a decent meal had Gustus not ruined that for me. This time, however, there is no food or drinks being served. The table is being used to hold handmade maps and blueprints.

I stay quiet in my corner as Clarke tries to talk some sense into the Grounders that want to do nothing but argue. Clarke tries motioning with her head for me to help her with this verbal battle, but I'm too lost in my own thoughts. All I can think about is Bellamy and Lincoln walking through the woods by themselves and then eventually hand themselves over to the Mountain Men.

"This argument is useless." Quint, the Grounder who seems to have the biggest problem with us says. "If they can't breathe our air then why not open the door and let them burn?"

The other Grounders around the table nod their head and chant, "Let them burn! Let them burn!"

Clarke shakes her head. "No! Because they have a containment system, multiple airlocks just like we had on the Ark. Our inside man can shut that down."

" _If_ he gets inside," Quint scoffs, having no faith in our plan to get Bellamy inside. I send a glare his way after he implies that Bellamy won't even make it to the mountain.

Lexa sense my stare and proposes another idea, "What if we shut it down from the outside. You say the dam gives them power, take that away."

Clarke shakes her head…again. "That dam withstood a nuclear war, commander. I highly—"

"All she offers is no," Quint says.

"Quint," Lexa warns.

"Apologies, Commander. But the biggest army we've had waits for us to give it a mission, the longer that takes the more of our people die inside that mountain."

"It's the same for all of us," I finally speak. I cross my arms over my chest and think about the friends I left behind when I followed Clarke through that tunnel. Jasper, Monty, Miller...The thought of them being stranded there still makes me blood go cold.

"We've lost thousands, how many have you lost, girl?" Quint pauses to wait for my answer. I don't give one because I can't top the number of losses he has. However, that doesn't make my need to get my people back any less dire than his. "She says she has a plan, I say waiting for one man to get inside is not a very good one."

"I agree with Quint," Another Grounder says. "We have an army, let's use it."

Clarke says, "We will, after Bellamy lowers their defenses, turns off the acid fog. I don't care how many men you have! If you can't get to your enemy you can't win."

"You are the enemy," Quint growls.

"I'm sorry, have I done something to offend you?" Clarke finally stands up to Quint who obviously has the biggest problem with us out of all the Grounders.

Quint steps forward and gets in Clarke's face. I stand by and let my hand rest against the blade in my waistband just in case. "Yes, you burned my brother alive in a ring of fire."

I roll my eyes. It's not like his brother was attacking us or anything!

Clarke glances my way. I try and give her an encouraging nod to speak up about it. Don't back down and say sorry. His brother deserved it! If we didn't kill him, he would have killed us. It's as simple as that.

Clarke takes a breath and stands strong, "He shouldn't have attacked my ship."

"You're very brave under the Commander's protection."

"Enough!" Lexa barks. Quint and Clarke stare at each other as they walk back to their places. "Quint's right. Waiting for Bellamy isn't a plan, it's a prayer. One that's not likely to be answered."

"Excuse me, I need some air." Clarke says, walking out the door before any of us can stop her. Major Byrne follows her in case for protection.

I turn around and try not to make any eye contact with the Grounders. I lean against the stone wall and close my eyes, trying to picture where Bellamy could be right now. I try to remember the feeling of our skins pressed up against each other, his lips on top of mine, his hair through my finger tips, the goose bumps his breath leaves on my skin. The memories bring me into a depressing state of mind, considering I don't have that anymore—and if this plan fails like the Grounder think it will, maybe I wont have it back ever.

I look up and eyebrows furrow. This room seemed to get a lot quieter and less condensed. That's when I realize we didn't only lose Clarke and Major Byrne, but now Quint is missing.

I quickly scuffle to my feet and storm over to Lexa. "Hey! Where's Quint?"

Lexa narrows her eyes at me and then moves her head to check around the room. "I don't know. I didn't give orders for him to go anywhere."

I feel my skin begin to tingle with rage, "If anything happens to Clarke, I'm blaming you."

I stomp out of there before she can respond or any other Grounder can stop me.

When I step outside, the cooler air hits me like a sack of bricks, pricking my skin with goosebumps. I pick up my pace when I don't see Clarke or Quint anywhere in sight. Clarke wouldn't have walked too far if she knew she had to be back.

"Casady, wait!"

I turn around to see Lexa and another Grounder following me. Surprisingly, I do stop and wait for her to catch up. "We'll look for her together."

"Whatever," I roll my eyes and walk ahead of her.

I don't know how Clarke has so much patience for Lexa. When I look at her, I think of Finn and her order to have him killed, the attack of our dropship, and even the attack on Jasper from our first day on this planet.

"Look," Lexa says. I hear her picking up her pace to walk next to me and then she's by my side. "I know you don't like me. What I want to know is why." I scoff at that loaded question. Should I answer in bullet points or with actual sentences? Lexa frowns at my reaction,"Okay, let me rephrase." I roll my eyes. "I know you don't like me and what my people have done to yours. But you don't like me and Clarke working together. Why is that?"

This time I pause. She's right. I don't like the two of them working together. It makes me worried that Lexa's style of leadership will rub off on Clarke and that she might see eye to eye with Lexa's cruel decisions and laws. I haven't said anything to Clarke because I didn't know if I was getting ahead of myself. So instead, I kept my own distance and made sure to put up a wall between Lexa and I. I have no desire to see things her way. She acts before she thinks, and recently Clarke's been doing the same thing. And it scares the crap out of me.

But I didn't realize my feelings were being indirectly expressed.

"Clarke is a natural born leader. She always has been—hell its even what got her thrown into the skybox." I tell Lexa, thinking back to life on the Ark and that miserable year in confinement. "She came down to Earth with a kind heart and was completely against the idea of sacrificing a life for a life. The more time she spends with you, the more those important traits of her's are breaking."

"And you believe that's my doing?"

"Are you the one that told her love is weakness?" I question. I heard Clarke say something like that to Abby last night. Lexa doesn't answer and keeps her eyes forward. I scoff and shake my head, "Exactly."

"What about you? Do you hold the same values Clarke did when you first landed?"

I nod my head. "Maybe I wasn't as kind as she was, but just like Clarke, I won't take the easy way out. As leaders, you're supposed to make sure that your people are okay—are surviving. That's what we do."

"Are you trying to insinuate that I don't care for the life of my people?" Lexa challenges me, narrowing her eyes.

"No. What I'm trying to tell you is you can't please everyone in your clan, Lexa. You're the leader of Trikru yet most of your decisions are made based on what your people want. You have to do what _you_ think is right. That's why _you're_ the leader. Not them."

Lexa doesn't answer which makes me want to tug on her hair and spit in her face—well I've wanted to do that for a while now, but especially in this moment because she was ignoring me. However, I let it go. A couple minutes of silence would be nice.

"I'll make sure Quint gets what he deserves." Lexa finally talks. I glance her way. "But my people are right when we say we need to find another plan other than what Clarke has."

"I know," I reluctantly agree. "And Clarke also knows that. But this is the first time our people have ever been lead by a child. Maybe it's normal for you and your people, but this is absolutely ridiculous to mine. Right now, Clarke is overwhelmed with all this pressure. She just needs some extra time to think."

"You're a natural born leader yourself, Casady." Lexa offers. I scrunch my nose and shake my head. "Try not to be overlooked by Clarke and Bellamy."

I open my mouth to speak but I don't know what to say so I say nothing at all. I just stand there looking like an open-mouthed idiot.

"Shh," Lexa stops, holding out her hand. I don't know who she's shushing. Both me and her guard have been silent.

In the distance there is shuffling and grunting coming from a male and a female. My eyes grow wide panic. We sprint up the hill and peer over it to find Quint straddling Clarke with his hand raised, ready to stab her.

Lexa is the quickest one to think and throws her knife at Quint, stabbing him through his hand. Quint cries at the pain and tumbles off of Clarke. I race over to my sister and help pull her to her feet.

"Are you okay?" I ask her.

Clarke nods her head. She looks shaken up, but other than that no real damage has been done.

"Thank you," Clarke says.

"Where's your guard?" Lexa asks.

"He killed her," Clarke glares down at Quint who is on his knees holding his hand to his chest.

Quint glances from Clarke to his Commander and speaks in his own language.

Lexa ignores whatever he says and instead, replies, "Yu gonplei ste odon." She glances at Clarke and nods. "The kill is yours Clarke."

I watch skeptically as Clarke contemplates taking the knife. The fact that she's even considering killing Quint shows how much she has changed. Before, Clarke would only kill if her life depended on it, and right now it doesn't. This kill would be for…what? Revenge?

Before anyone could make any kill, a ferocious loud growl vibrates through the air. I stand frozen in my spot. Never have I heard a noise like that since being on Earth and it is petrifying.

"What was that?"

Lexa acts quickly and takes the knife back from Clarke and stabs Quint swiftly in the leg. He falls to the ground again, crying out in pain.

"Run!"

Clarke, Lexa, Lexa's guard, and I sprint as far away from the noise as possible. A couple steps in, though, I feel the heavy thumps on the ground as this giant ass animal runs towards us. I'm scared to look behind me and see what it is, but I do it anyway.

The animal is freaking massive. It only has two legs but it runs with his hands on the ground, using them as two extra legs. He has black hair and a monkey like face. His teeth are never hidden. They're huge, pointy, and yellow. If I wasn't already running for my life I probably would have peed myself from pure fear.

"We need to hide!" Clarke screams. She turns her head and narrows her eyes. "This way, I found something!"

The four of us duck under some stone and step into an opening of multiple rocks. Skeletons litter the ground, surrounded by some flies and other bugs I don't recognize. My legs are burning and I feel the need to vomit everywhere but I try to hold my composure until we think of a better plan, because right now, I think we just ran into the thing's homemade restaurant.

"What is this place?" Clarke asks, her face scrunched up in a cringe.

"It's her feeding ground," Lexa says.

"Let's go."

Clarke helps Lexa climb the rocks to try and find a way out. The other Grounder stands by the bottom as a shield in case that scary animal comes back. However, I don't know what more he could do—that thing could kill him just by stepping on him.

I climb the rocks myself, thank you very much Clarke and Lexa for the thought, but pause when I hear the beast come back with an evil roar. The beast jumps into its feeding ground and immediately starts pounding on the Grounder. _I told you!_ The beast throws his body in rage and looks up at the sky and lets out another nasty roar.

Clarke whips our her gun and starts firing some shots into the large animal but it doesn't do much to stop him. However, she keeps firing bullets at it until it drops down a couple of rocks and is no longer in our sight.

I glance over at Clarke and Lexa who breathe out a sigh in relief. However, the calm doesn't last long because the freaking animal gets right back up and charges towards us.

Clarke pushes me in front of her and we stop when we come to a pit. I glance at the two of them before shrugging my shoulders and jumping down. I landed with a hard thud, and yeah I was going to wake up with some banging bruises and sore bones but at least nothing broke. I wave for Clarke and Lexa to do the same. Clarke goes first and then Lexa. However, Lexa lands weird and I could easily tell her ankle was going to be a little messed up.

"Leave me!" Lexa calls.

"No way!" Clarke says, pulling her to her feet and ducking into a small space where the beast would definitely have trouble fitting. Clarke and Lexa make it in just in time.

I take Lexa's sword out from the sheath she wears on her back and use it to lock us in. When I turn around, I find Clarke tending to Lexa's ankle. Its already starting to swell, but hey, at least she'll survive…maybe.

I don't want to jump to conclusions, but I feel like I can see some sort of bond forming between Lexa and Clarke. Maybe it's the bond between two leaders or maybe it's something else. I would be surprise if Clarke has already developed a little crush so soon after Finn had died…especially if she's crushing on the one that ordered his death. But then again, I won't jump to conclusions.

"You should've left me behind. Now three will die here instead of one," Lexa glances up.

"I'm still new to your culture but when someone saves someone's life, my people say thank you," Clarke stands up and examines the room.

It's a small space with luckily no skeletons inhabiting it. Its all stone with a handmade jail cell similar to the one back at Camp Jaha. Its dark, cold, and creepy but better than being outside with that ugly nasty thing.

"I'm serious Clarke, to lead well you must mark hard choices," Lexa says.

"Hard choices?" Clarke scoffs. "You're telling me that?"

Okay, maybe I was wrong about the whole "crush" thing.

"I've seen your strength, it's true but now you waver. You couldn't kill Quint, you couldn't leave me to die. That was weakness."

"I thought love was weakness," Clarke glares. "You wanna know why I saved you? Because I need you. God forbid one of your generals becomes commander. You may be heartless, Lexa but at least you're smart."

She's got a point there.

"Don't worry, my spirit will choose much more wisely than that," Lexa says.

"Your spirit?" I cross my arms over my chest and lean against the wall.

"When I die, my spirit will find the next commander."

Clarke's eyes grow, "Reincarnation. That's how you became commander."

Lexa looks at us confused, "How are your leaders chosen?"

Clarke and I don't have time to answer. The beast is back and angrier than ever. It bangs on the door, moving the sword more and more out of place. That thing isn't going to last forever and there is no other escape routes. We are screwed.

"Well guys, it was nice knowing you," I glance at Lexa who glances at me. "Well…sorta."

"Don't be afraid," Lexa says. "Death is not the end."

"We are not dying here!" Clarke exclaims. "I need your spirit to stay where it is!"

"Then get ready to fight," I say, "because it's coming in."

Clarke eyes hit mine as an idea pops into her head. "Maybe we let it in." I look at her like she's crazy but follow her anyway because what's the worst that could happen that I'm not already expecting. "Come here!"

The three of us move to stand next to the door. Clarke looks over her shoulder at Lexa and I and nods her head to tell us to get ready to run. Clarke removes the sword from the door. It burst open with amazing force as the beast pummels his way in. Clarke takes my hand and I take Lexa's and we sprint outside the door, kicking it closed, and running away.

We finally lost it.

* * *

We don't make it very far before all three of us collapse on the ground. Because of how overwhelmingly exhausted we are, we find somewhere in the woods to camp out. Clarke is able to fall asleep next to the fire—how? I don't know, but it leaves Lexa and I by ourselves.

We sit in silence as Lexa tends to the fire. All we had to say to each other was already said before we found Clarke. Now, there is just an awkward silence between us.

"I have a question for you," Lexa finally speaks up. I sit back against a log and move my eyes from the fire to her. "Would you have left me back there?"

I bite my lip and think about it. The idea of leaving Lexa there and saving ourselves would have been an easy plan for me to follow along with if I had grown up in her culture. But with how I was raised on the Ark and the morals I have, I would never leave my worst enemy behind with that animal.

"Clarke made the right choice by saving you," I tell her. "I honestly find it sad that your first choice would be to leave that person behind because it makes for an _easier_ escape." Lexa stays quiet and looks down at her swollen ankle. "If you wanted to know the biggest difference between my people and yours, that's it."

Another growl from the distance is loud enough to wake Clarke up from her sleep. Lexa and I have been hearing them throughout the night, so we know that animal is stuck in the cage.

"It's ok, you're safe," Lexa says soothingly to Clarke.

"How's your foot?" Clarke says, pulling herself off the ground and wiping the sleep from her eyes.

"Hurts."

"We should go," Clarke stands up. "That cage won't hold forever."

"Wait," Lexa is quick to stand up next to her. I stand up too and look at the Commander questioningly. She glances at me before turning back to my sister. "I was wrong about you, Clarke. Your heart shows no sign of weakness."

Clarke pauses and nods her head, but whatever is on her mind isn't Lexa. Her eyes light up as another idea springs into her head. "The cage won't hold." Clarke looks at me and grabs my arms, a smile beginning to form on her face. "I think I know how to take Mount Weather. We've been trying to get inside but they've already let us in."

"What are you talking about?" I ask.

Clarke turns towards Lexa, "Your army is already there, locked in cages. We just need someone on the inside to let them out."

"Bellamy?" Lexa says slowly, narrowing her eyes. "You have faith in him?"

I look towards Clarke to see what she is going to say. I hope she has faith in him—that's all that is keeping me from having a severe anxiety attack every other minute.

"I do," Clarke nods.

"I hope your faith is well placed because if he can't get inside we can't win," Lexa says.

"He will," Clarke says. "Lexa, this is going to work. Come on!"


	24. Coup de Grace

**A/N: Not gonna lie, this isn't going to be one of my best chapters, but none the less, I hope you like it.**

 **Episode: Coup de Gråce**

* * *

Lexa returned to Tondc to be with her people and to explain to them what's going to happen next. The look on their faces told me that the Grounders were not happy that the fate of our people relied solely on one person—our person—to get inside; to them that seemed impossible. Their worried expressions built a new sense of doubt with the plan and the role Bellamy plays in it.

I think about it as we ride along horseback to Camp Jaha. I keep glancing at Clarke who rides in front of me. She was the one to give Bellamy the "OK" to leave and find a way into Mount Weather. What makes me nervous is that she was against the plan until Lexa's views and morals brainwashed her mind. So was this plan for good reason or to prove to herself she isn't weak?

Abby stops her horse and commands the rest of us to stop as well. I pull on the straps of my horse and watch Abby hop off. She walks to the puddle with a canister and bends down to fill it with water.

Annoyed that we even stopped in the first place, Clarke hops off her horse and walks over to our mother. "Mom, why are we stopping?"

Abby sighs, and I don't blame her. I've had enough of Clarke's attitude too. "You need to drink, too."

"I'm fine. We're almost home," Clarke says and turns towards us and the other Grounders behind me. "Our scouts patrol these woods. Be careful where you shoot."

"Yes ma'am," One of them responds. I grimace at the word "ma'am" and its properness. I liked it better when we were just kids roaming the Earth for the first time. Now, there's all these politics and bullshit. Not a fan.

"The Grounders listen to you," Abby says.

"Lexa told them to," Clarke says. "We shouldn't have stopped. Mount up!"

"Chill out, Clarke," I say, unable to bite my tongue any longer. "She stopped to get some water, not to be in your way."

Clarke looks at me and scoffs, "We need to get back to that radio to see if Bellamy has mad contact. I thought you of all people would feel the same way."

"You can't be serious." My voice rises and my eyes set in a glare. I am very pissed at what she's implying. What? She thinks because I told her she needs to take a chill pill, it means that I don't care to hear from Bellamy? She's got balls.

"Girls." Abby says. She steps between us and turns her back to me to address Clarke. "Listen to me. I know you don't think you need my protection anymore, but you do. You have to trust that I know what's right for us." Clarke doesn't say anything. "Let's go home."

Clarke nods and turns around to mount her horse, "Let's move out!"

When Clarke takes a seat on her saddle, one of the Grounders behind us falls to the ground after a loud bang was heard from the distance. I whip my head in the Grounder's direction to see blood pouring out of him like a waterfall from his chest. He's been shot.

"Mountain Men," I grip onto my horses grips and whip them. Clarke does the same and our horses ride off deep into the woods from where the shot was heard.

* * *

When we reach the area from where the bullet was shot, we see Octavia, Indra, and the other Grounders had beat us to it. There were two mountain men laying on the ground. One had an arrow through the neck and the other one was left unharmed. Well, Octavia was on top of him ready to make the kill, but Clarke stopped her before she could lower her knife.

"Octavia, no! He's from Mount Weather. We need to keep him alive. Check to see if he's got a patch kit. We've got to get him back to camp."

Octavia moves next to the dead guy and goes through his pack.

The guy on the ground cries, "It burns! Please! Please!" I look down at his face mask and then at his suit. There was a small tear in it.

I watch Octavia flip through a couple of pictures she found in the pack. "What is that?" I ask her.

Octavia glances at me and walks over to Clarke and I, "You guys were the targets."

Octavia hands three pictures over to Clarke. I look over her shoulder and see two pictures of Lexa and Clarke standing next to each other. Both of their heads have a read thick circle around them. The other picture is of me standing alone with a same circle drawn around my head. The Mountain Men have been watching us this entire time.

"We have to warn the Commander," Indra says. The Grounders around her nod and disperse.

I turn around and push past my mother and look into the trees, narrowing my eyes trying to find the smallest glimpse of another Mountain Men. If Clarke and I were targets, imagine what Bellamy will be if they find him.

* * *

We ride back into Camp Jaha and from there Clarke and I split. She went with Mom to take the Mountain man to medical. Indra followed after them, no doubt to try and kill him. I honestly didn't care what they did with him—he wasn't my main priority.

I follow my first instinct and find Octavia there with me too. Together we sit by the radio waiting for Bellamy's voice to kick in any time now. He was supposed to contact as soon as he got in which should have been a while ago. The wait has both Octavia and I on edge so we sit in silence, afraid that even a loud breath could be loud enough for us to not hear the radio.

"So, Indra's second, huh?" I ask.

The silence was letting my mind wander to terrible thoughts that I didn't want. I was trying to get my mind off the worst possible scenario.

While Lexa, Clarke, and I were battling against some heavy duty beast, Octavia was getting her butt beat by the Grounders voluntarily. Indra found her effort of not giving up in the fight to be a good characteristic of a second. In a way, I was kind of jealous. She was fitting in with the Grounders more than I was.

"Yeah," Octavia smiles. She seems genuinely happy as if she just accomplished a goal she's been trying to achieve for a long time. Maybe this was another way for her to feel closer to Lincoln. "I know it sounds crazy but—"

"But crazy is right up our ally," I send a smirk her way. "You'll be a great second. Just don't become as scary as Indra."

Octavia giggles, "She's not that bad."

"Maybe not to you. She obviously likes you but I think she's scarier than Lexa. If she were Commander and not Lexa, we would all be dead." There was a pause between us as Octavia stared at the radio. I tilt my head and ponder. Most people have been asking me how I've been doing after Bellamy walked off with Lincoln to Mount Weather. It's almost as if people forgot that he's Octavia's brother. No one has really asked her how she's been handling it. Or if they do, they bring up Lincoln instead. "Are you okay, Octavia?"

Octavia glances at me and shrugs, "Are any of us okay?" Her question keeps me silent. "Actually to be completely honest with you, I like the ground way more than I liked the Ark."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I mean I've been hiding my entire life. And then we hit the ground and I'm no longer afraid to show people who I really am. The only part that sucked was when people thought of me, they thought of me as Bellamy's little sister. Now you have Bellamy. I'm going to be Indra's second and I have Lincoln. I'm starting to create a life for myself, you know? So maybe the ground can be hell, but at least I can fight for myself down here."

I nod my head and stand up. "I'm going to check on the Mountain man and Clarke. Let me know if you hear anything!"

"Okay."

I walk down the corridor and pass Raven on the way. She looks extremely pissed off but when she makes eye contact with me, her sour face softens a little. Well, that's good.

"You're my favorite sister, you know that?"

She's referring to me and Clarke. I don't have to ask what happened back in medical because I already can guess. Finn's death was probably brought up again and Clarke was acting more like a leader than a friend.

"Yeah I get that a lot," I say sarcastically. "Hey, where is Clarke by the way?"

"Clarke and Abby took the guy to the air vault so they could treat him without the suit."

"Thanks," I say, turning around to walk away.

"Wait, Cas!" Raven calls. I turn around and raise my eyebrows. "Any word from Bellamy?"

I frown, "Not yet."

Raven gives me a look of sympathy, "He'll make it through."

I nod, "Make sure to tell Octavia that when you see her. She may not be showing it, but she's freaking out inside."

"I will."

* * *

I reach the air lock where our hostage from Mount Weather is slouched on the makeshift table. This time he wears no suit; just the usual guards uniform I recognized from Mount Weather. He looks pretty pissed. He must be around 35 years old. He has dirty blonde hair and a dirt covered face.

My mom, Kane, and Clarke stand outside the air lock looking tired and defeated.

"What's going on?" I ask as I approach.

"He's not talking," Abby fills me in.

"Please answer the question," Kane pleads with the stranger.

"Carl Emerson, Mount Weather security detail," Emerson looks up and stares right past Kane and into my soul. He must recognize me from when I stayed in Mount Weather.

Kane sighs with defeat, "As you already said. You don't seem to be grasping the situation here. You should've died in the woods. We saved your life. Why not help us bring an end to all this?"

Emerson repeats himself, "Carl Emerson, Mount Weather security detail."

"He's not gonna talk," I say, pointing out the obvious.

"He will if we open the door," Kane says, but I know he's not talking to me. He's implying something to my mother. Something they've already discussed.

"We are not doing that," Abby says sternly.

Kane walks past Clarke and I and stands directly in front of Abby, "We need to know what he knows—vulnerability, troop numbers."

"She's right," Clarke speaks up, glancing sideways at her mom. Everyone turns to face her. "Torture doesn't work."

"Clarke, it could save your friends," Kane says, almost pleading.

"I'm the Chancellor!" Abby snaps.

So does Kane, "Then act like one! I told you I would support you as long as I believed that you were doing the right thing!"

"I am! And if you disagree, convene a vote and take my place."

"I don't give a damn about the title! I just want to save our people!"

"So do I! I want this man under twenty-four-hour guard," Abby announces to us, to Kane, and to the guards. "Is that clear?"

I stand awkwardly in the corner as the guards nod their head slowly and wait for Kane to react. Watching Abby and Kane fight is like watching a mother and father fight and having it lead into divorce. It's going to end badly, I have a feeling.

* * *

I walk into the room where Raven stays with the radio and the high-pitch frequency stick the Mountain Men use on the Reapers. Raven is hunched over the table with her head in her hands and groaning to herself.

"Oh come on Raven," I say, making her turn around. "There is absolutely nothing going wrong in the world for you to be upset about."

"There is so much to do. No one is responding to the radio and I'm trying to replicate this frequency for Clarke—"

"Raven!" I walk closer to her and grab her hands to try and calm her down from her mini panic attack. "You're okay. We're all okay. For now anyway. So I need you to take a deep breath and calm down. You're the smartest person in this camp. If you go crazy, we all go crazy."

Raven takes a deep breath and slumps her shoulders, "Okay."

"Okay," I clap my hands and rub them together. "Now, let me help lighten your load. What can I do?"

"It's fine," Raven shakes her head and offers a grateful grin. "I've got it from here."

"Are you sure? I really don't mind helping—"

"No offense, Cass but you're better at fighting on the field than working back stage."

I pause and think about it for a moment, "Yeah I guess you're right. But I am good company."

"That you are," Raven snaps and points.

She reaches across the table for a small tool that is about the size of a pencil and starts poking the Reaper stick. I couldn't help but notice how her tongue pokes out of her mouth when she's in deep concentration.

"My mother used to do that," I say, pointing to her tongue. "Poking out her tongue when she's so deep in thought."

"Yeah?" Raven smiles, amused. "Which mother?"

I grin, "Andrea. She used to do it all the time, especially when she was sewing."

Raven nods, "So how are and Abby? I've heard you call her Mom a couple of times."

"Yeah, well somehow she is my mother so I might as well give her the title she deserves."

"She deserves? She chose Clarke over you and handed you over to an abusive father." Raven snaps. Damn, who knew she felt so strongly about my past? I raise my eyebrows in which she sighs. "Sorry. My mom knew Rick Lima from when they were teenagers. She said he was always...forceful." She chooses her words carefully.

"Well to be completely fair to Abby, it could have easily been Clarke that she handed over to the Lima's. It was just the luck of the draw, that's all. I'm sure she had no idea about Rick when she handed me over."

At least that's what I'd like to think.

"Looking back at it now, would you rather have been floated?"

I pause. Would I rather not have lived through the traumatic situations with my father, always needing to comfort my mother, being accused of murder, rotting in prison, meeting Octavia, being sent to Earth, finding out about my sister, falling in love with Bellamy, being kidnapped by the Mountain Men, and fighting against the Grounders for the rest of my life?

"Nah. I like taking this life on a joy ride. I don't give up that easily."

"I wish Rick Lima didn't die on that Exodus ship so I could beat his ass for you," Raven says.

"You, me, and Bellamy could have been a tag team."

"The perfect Trio."

"That's right."

I jump when the door behind us bursts open, smacking against the wall from the force. It's Clarke and she looks extremely pissed off.

Raven and I stand up and face her with folded fists.

"What the hell, Clarke?" I yell.

"It's over." Clarke says.

Raven slams her fist down on the metallic table, "No! You don't get to give up, Clarke. You killed Finn, and I didn't give up. I'm building a damn tone generator. _You_ do _your_ job!"

"What _is_ my job?" Clarke yells back desperately.

"I don't know, to come up with something!"

"I have tried!"

The fighting ceases when the radio statics to life and my boyfriend's voice bubbles from the wires. The three pairs of eyes grow wide, but I'm pretty sure mine are the biggest.

"Camp Jaha, this is Mount Weather. Can anyone read me?" His voice speaks.

"Oh my god," I say.

"Holy Crap," Raven says.

Clarke waves for the radio and presses the button for her to speak back to him. I wish my voice was the first one he heard, but I figured that he didn't have a lot of time to talk and it had to be all strictly business, so I didn't intervene. For me, it was enough knowing he was safe.

"Bellamy?"

"Clarke?" Bellamy answers. He's okay. My heart thumps in joy, knowing that the plan worked.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, but that's it for the good news. We have to talk fast. Something has changed. Jasper, Monty, everyone, they just locked them in the dorm."

"But they're all alive? All of them?"

"I think so, for now," Bellamy sighs. "Maya says that they're already using their blood, and things are gonna get ugly in here real fast."

"Maya is with you?" Clarke asks. I roll my eyes when I remember their past. Maya had a good heart and she really cared for Jasper. I never thought of her as a threat unlike Clarke. But I'm glad to hear that I was right all along.

"She helped me escape. If not for her, I'd be dead." Damn, can't wait to rub that one in Clarke's face. " And, Clarke, there are kids in here. We need a plan that doesn't kill everyone. Please tell me we have one."

"I hear you, but we can't do anything until you disable the acid fog. Raven is gonna help you."

"Got it. What else?"

"You have to figure out a way to free the Grounder prisoners. There is a whole army inside that mountain and they don't even realize it."

"Trojan horse. Good plan."

"What does Maya think? Is it doable?"

"She says it's not a problem. Clarke, if I'm gonna pull this off, I need you to buy me some time. It won't be long before they realize I don't belong here, and if that happens—"

"That can't happen," I say. I realize Clarke's finger is still pressed against the button so I know Bellamy has heard me. I walk closer to the radio and lean down. "We'll come up with something."

"Cas—"

"Yeah it's me you idiot," I smile. "Took you long enough to call. You're lucky I don't come down there and beat you for it."

"I missed you too," Bellamy chuckles.

"You came through," I say. "I knew you would."

"All I've done so far is not get killed."

"Yeah, well you're doing one hell of a job at it. Keep it up. I love you."

"I love you too," He says. "Clarke?"

"Yeah?" She asks.

"Keep an eye on her and keep her safe. For me?"

Clarke sighs and nods her head, "Of course."

Bellamy and Clarke say their final goodbyes and set the radio aside. There's a moment of silence between the three of us until Raven asks Clarke what she's going to do.

"I'm gonna keep them looking outside instead of in," She answers and walks out of the room.

I eye Raven questioningly before following Clarke through the corridor and back to where they were keeping the prisoner.

"What's your plan?" I ask her.

"We're letting him go," Clarke says to me and then bangs on the glass door that Emerson is trapped behind. "Get dressed. You're coming with me." She walks past me and I follow her again. "We're sending him back with a message—a message that will keep all eyes on the outside instead of the inside."

"Smart. I'm in."

Clarke nods, "Good. I need you behind this plan because mom isn't going to be too happy about it." She nods to the hallway. "Keep watch."

Clarke and I grab an army of our own to follow behind us as we let the prisoner go. Knowing Abby and Kane, their gonna use their guards and weapons to stop us. But my sister and I are able to gather everyone 20 years old and younger.

"Clarke, stop!" Abby demands as we near the gate.

Emerson is between Clarke and I with his hands zip tied together. Behind us are about 50 teenagers and Grounders with stone cold expressions that don't plan on standing down. Octavia stands besides me and grabs my hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"No," Clarke says. "I'm letting the prisoner go."

"Absolutely not."

"He hasn't told us anything yet," Kane agrees with Abby.

"He doesn't have to," I speak up. "He's gonna tell _them_ something."

Abby narrows her eyes and turns to her guards, "Get the prisoner back to the airlock. Now."

"Yes ma'am," The guard nods. However, when the guard steps forward, the Grounders unsheathe their swords.

"You may be the Chancellor, but I'm in charge," Clarke says. Not expecting that answer, I glance over at her with scrunched eyebrows. That was a little bitchy.

Abby looks to Indra, "Indra, tell your people to stand down before this gets out of hand."

"No," Indra says.

"People could get hurt."

"Not if you get out of my way. You need to trust that I know what's right for us." Clarke says.

Kane lowers his head, "The Grounders trust your girls. Maybe we should too."

Abby looks up and presses her lips in a thin line, "Stand down," She says to her guards.

The guards lower their weapons.

"Open the gate. Now," Clarke demands.

Clarke turns around and stands face to face with Emerson who looks less than unhappy with us.

Clarke knocks obnoxiously on the glass of his helmet. "Can you hear me all right? Because I need to make sure you get this."

"Loud and clear," Emerson answers.

"Casady and I have a message for your leader. We're coming for him. You're watching us, but you haven't seen a thing. The Grounder army is bigger than you think, and even if you could find it, your acid fog can't hurt them, and now, thanks to you... neither can the Reapers. So you have one last chance. Let our people go, and we'll let you live. It's just that simple."

Emerson clenches his teeth and his jaw twitches, "I got it."

"It's an eight-hour walk back to Mount Weather. You're gonna do it in six."

My eyes go wide as I watch Clarke reach for his air timer.

"Six hours?" Emerson suddenly looks more alert. "That's not enough. How am I supposed to deliver your message?"

"That's your problem," Clarke shrugs. "Now go."

Emerson turns around and starts walking out with the guards. My heart beats faster as I watch Clarke turn around and start to walk away, having no problem of just sending someone out to possibly die a horrible death of burning flesh.

"Hold on," Octavia grabs onto Clarke's wrist. "You want to explain to me how this helps my brother?"

"I just told him we have a secret army to worry about. The more they're looking at us, the less they're looking at him. Bellamy is the key to everything, Octavia. If he dies, we die."


	25. Rubicon

**Episode: Rubicon**

* * *

Recently, Octavia has been spending so much time with Indra that I barely have had anytime to talk to her. After we let Emerson go, Indra immediately took her away to work on her training. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for Octavia and that she's found a place where she feels that she belongs, but I also miss hanging out with my best friend.

Because Octavia has been so busy, I've been spending most of my time with Raven helping her as best as I can with the tone generators while staring at the radio waiting for Bellamy's voice to come out of it.

"He's alright," Raven says, glancing over her shoulder at me. Currently, she is looking over her notes that she's written on a board with some markers. I tried to understand it but there were way too many math equations.

"He should have checked in by now," I sigh and slump in one of the metal stools. "Clarke's gonna be pissed."

"Clarke needs to take a chill pill," Raven says.

"You're telling me," I roll my eyes and swirl around. "I wish Clarke and I had that same relationship that Bellamy and Octavia do. You know?"

"Well Octavia and Bellamy lived together all their lives…you and Clarke only found out about each other when you guys hit the ground. Ever since, you've been dealing with so much shit that you guys never had time to just sit, relax, and get to know each other."

I've always wanted Clarke and I to be closer. Although she's been protective of me like Bellamy is with Octavia, I've never felt that click with her like Bellamy has with Octavia and to me, that kind of sucks. I have a sister and I'm not taking advantage of it. Especially now, Clarke is changing into a whole different person and drifting further apart from me.

As if on cue, Clarke walks through the door with a Grounder behind her. By the look of her face, you can tell Clarke isn't here to chat. She's here strictly for business.

"Has he checked in yet?" Clarke asks, referring to Bellamy.

"No," Raven shakes her head.

"Worried someone's gonna try and take a shot at you inside the Ark?" I ask, directly my eyes at the big Grounder behind her who looks ready to take on Raven and I if he has to.

Clarke hesitates to turn around, but she does and she tells the Grounder to wait for her outside. She shrugs at Raven and I. "Lexa's orders."

"Whatever, Clarke," Raven turns around.

Clarke licks her lips, not really appreciating the attitude coming from either Raven or I. She walks towards the radio, standing next to me. "He's late. What if something's happened to him?"

"He'll be fine," I say. Raven looks at me. Her eyes slightly grow at my optimism. I shrug my shoulders. "He hasn't let me down yet, and he's not about to start."

Clarke glances once at me and then at the Raven's equations. "You've been busy." Her eyes narrow as she analyzes more of Raven's work. "Why are you focusing on the dam? I told you acid fog was our priority."

"Until Bellamy get's eyes on the dispersal system, there's only so much I can do." Raven replies, crossing her hands over her chest.

"Fine. Tell me about the dam. Can we cut off their power?"

"Maybe. I'm still playing with a few things."

Then Clarke walks over to the tone generators. She turns it on. A loud pitch tone comes out of it. I cringe at the sound. "How many of these have you made?"

"Only two so far—"

"Two? That's not enough," Clarke places the tone generator down aggressively and walks over to Raven. "There will be Reapers everywhere."

"High-frequency tone generators don't grow on trees, Clarke," Raven says through clenched teeth. "Wick is scrounging for parts." Wick is another engineer from the Ark helping Raven with her workload. I think they like each other, but everytime I bring it up, Raven calls me crazy. But I know I'm not crazy. I called it with Finn and Clarke and now I'm calling it with Raven and Wick.

"Raven, I am about to leave for Tondc, where Lexa and the heads of all twelve Grounder clans are waiting for me to tell them we're a go, only we're not a go because they still have acid fog, and we only have two tone generators," Clarke sighs.

I glance at Raven. I could sense the stress in Clarke's voice. It makes me feel a little bad for her.

"Hey," Raven eases up. "We'll be ready." She walks over and embraces Clarke in a hug.

"Ark Station, do you read me? Anybody there?" Bellamy's voice statics through the radio. I breathe out a sigh of relief at the fact that he is actually okay and that he is a distraction for me to not participate in this chick-flick moment Clarke and Raven got going on.

I take hold of the radio and sigh, "Hey. I knew you would come through eventually."

"What? You think I would miss out on talking to my favorite girl?" Bellamy answers. His reply makes me blush and I suddenly feel Raven and Clarke's eyes staring down at me. I miss him. I miss him so much. Hearing him call me his favorite girl has my heart melt but also break. I want to feel his touch, hear his voice in person and not through a crappy radio, and smell the scent of sweat and pine waft through the air when he brings me into a bone crushing hug. Bellamy coughs into radio, bringing me out of my thoughts. "Uh, Octavia isn't there, is she?"

I laugh. He's referring to the "favorite girl" comment he made. "No she's not. But I'll be sure to tell her I won this battle."

"Good thing I'm miles away then," I can sense Bellamy's smirk on his face as he speaks.

"Bellamy," Clarke speaks up. I mentally roll my eyes at her bossy tone. "Hate to break up this lovey-dovey chit chat, but we don't have time. You're late. Every three hours means every three hours."

There's a pause. I pass a look to Clarke that tells her to take it down a notch. We don't know what he's dealing with over there.

"Are you through?" Bellamy responds to Clarke's bitching. His response puts a smile on my face.

Clarke sighs, "Have you found the source of the acid fog?"

"No. That's gonna have to wait."

"What? No. Nothing is more important than that."

"Our friends are," Bellamy says. "They've started taking them from the dorm one at a time every few hours."

My heart stops in my chest. I can picture the dorm now. Small rectangular room with bunk beds set up around it. I can see my friends…46 of them…pressed up against a wall fearing for their live as the Mountain Men pick and choose like it's a trip to the grocery store.

I know what Bellamy is going to say is going to be important, but my mind is too preoccupied with the violent thoughts of what my friends are going through. The anxiety builds in my stomach and I suddenly feel nauseous.

I excuse myself and rush out of the room, not even saying a final goodbye to Bellamy.

"Casady!" Raven calls after me. I ignore her and push through the doors. I hear Bellamy ask where I was going but after that, the room is dead silent.

I feel the sweat begin to build on my forehead and I know it's not there from running down the halls. I find the nearest trashcan and vomit. I think about Jasper, Monty, Harper, and Miller. I think back to how I left them behind when Clarke found Anya and the other Grounders in cages. Maybe if I had run back to tell them, they would be safe on the Ark. Or maybe if I had stayed at Mount Weather I could be helping them from the inside. I'm a good fighter, I could fight off some of their soldiers.

What felt like hours but was really only minutes, I finally feel my stomach begin to settle down. That's when I feel someone rubbing my back, asking if I was okay. When I turned around to acknowledge the person, I never expected to be face to face with Marcus Kane. He has a look of understanding written across his face.

"Are you okay?" He asks, but he already knows the answer. He knows this isn't a case of the stomach bug.

"I think Mount Weather is killing my friends," I admit. I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand and spit one last time in the trash can. I feel embarrassed under the eyes of Kane. But what for?

Kane smirks down at me. "You really are your mother's child."

"What do you mean?" I ask. That was so not what I was expecting to hear. I was expecting _'Don't worry everything's going to be fine'_ or ' _We're one day closer to getting your friends back. Keep up the good work'_. Something encouraging to keep me going. This was not that.

"You've got a heart of gold, Casady. You're overwhelmed with trying to help your friends from Mount Weather. That's why you were throwing up right? Let me guess. You were blaming yourself for their suffering. Maybe you shouldn't have escaped? Or maybe you're not doing enough here at camp? Am I anywhere close to right?" I don't answer. Instead, I look to the ground ashamed. "Your mother would be doing the same thing. In fact, she's been beating herself up about the choices she's made since she's been Chancellor. I'm surprised how I have never put two and two together on the Ark. It's nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, you should feel the complete opposite. You're an incredible human being, Casady. Hell, you're only 18 years old and have accomplished more in your life than half of this camp. Your friends will be saved in due time. It may not seem like it, but we're working our hardest to make sure those kids come back home safely and soon."

"It just seems like everything we do just isn't enough." I say.

"I know," Kane says glumly. "But hopefully all of our efforts will be rewarded in the end."

I nod and find myself surprisingly curious about my mom's secret back on the Ark. "So you really had no idea I existed on the Ark?"

Kane's eyes glow at the thought of me wanting to talk about my childhood. I haven't really asked many questions about my childhood despite all the secrets, and people knew that I didn't like talking about it. So Kane is probably just surprised to hear me asking questions.

"Ah, well. Yes, I did know about you because of Rick, your adopted father. I just had no idea you weren't biologically his."

The name of my father has my hands curl up in fists and my breathing become heavier. "I didn't do it ya know." Kane gives me a confused look. "I didn't kill Andrea. I loved her. She was the good one."

Kane sighs, "You know, if we were back on the Ark and you told me this, I would have never believed you. But now that I have gotten to know you and grow closer to you both professionally and in a friendly way, I do believe you. It's made me think about the choices I have made back on the Ark—how I treated people based on their reputation or from what past crimes they've committed. I'm happy I didn't know about you and Abby's secret. If I did, I don't know if I would be standing here having a conversation with you on the ground. And that is why I want to change my whole perspective on people and not be so quick to judge."

I grin, happy to hear that the asshole Marcus Kane from the Ark is finally turning into a human being people feel that they can approach. "I would say you have almost reached your goal."

Our moment is interrupted when Clarke and her Grounder body guard come jogging down the hallway to meet with Kane.

Kane scrunches his eyebrows, confused as to what Clarke was still doing at Camp. "The commander's expecting you."

Clarke shakes her head. "Our people inside Mount Weather are in trouble. I'm not going anywhere until I know they're okay."

"And what can you do for them from here?"

Clarke hesitates. "You'll go to Tondc in my place with Casady. Lexa respects you both. I'll get there as soon as I can."

Clarke turns around to walk away but Kane call out to her and lightly grabs her arm to turn her around. It was nothing threatening in the least, but the Grounder behind Clarke rips out his sword from it's sheath. I quickly move to stand next to Kane who stays frozen in his track. I place my hand on my own knife and stare into the Grounder's eyes.

Clarke slowly turns to the Grounder, "Put it away."

Kane lets go of Clarke, "Clarke, being a good leader means knowing which battles to fight."

"And which to delegate. I know. Please, I need you to go to Tondc."

"Fine. We'll go," Kane nods.

Abby turns the corner and comes walking down the hallway towards us.

"Thank you," Clarke says, turning around only to stop dead in her tracks when she sees our mother.

"What is it?" Abby asks, glancing between the three of us.

Clarke moves past her mother mumbling, "Kane will explain."

"Perhaps your mother should go," Kane suggests, causing Clarke to turn around and give a look of disapproval. "She is still the Chancellor after all."

Clarke pauses to spare a look at her mother who looks conflicted and confused. "Which is why she is needed here." With that, her and her new Grounder buddy take off.

"Heavy lies the crown," Kane comments when Clarke is out of sight.

"She shouldn't be wearing the crown," Abby says and points a finger at Kane. "And you shouldn't be backing her up."

"With all due respect Mom, but even if Clarke didn't have backup, she would be acting the same way. When we first landed on the Ground, Clarke only had the support of five out of one hundred kids when she took the liberty to walk dozens of miles to find food at Mount Weather for all of us. Now look where she is. She's going to do her own thing no matter what."

There's silence as we reminisce to the early days of the first one hundred being sent to the Ground. Crazy to think that those were the simpler days!

"What is that?" Kane asks referring to the piece of paper Abby holds.

"A note. Thelonious is gone. He told Sinclair to wait two days before giving that to us."

"The City of Light. He says he's coming back to save us again," Kane reads over it.

"He took twelve people. Twelve guns."

"That's probably where Murphy ran off to." I say. "I haven't seen him in a couple days."

"We can't go after him. We can't spare the men," Kane says.

Abby scoffs. "Oh, don't worry about it. Clarke wouldn't let me even if I wanted to." Abby turns around to walk way, looking up the sky and saying, "Godspeed, Thelonious."

* * *

 **THIRD PERSON POV:**

Casady and Kane set off on foot to Tondc behind Octavia, the Grounders, and their horses. Casady didn't like that Clarke wasn't going to be apart of this meeting and felt the heavy pressure on her shoulders to not mess it up for Clarke. Her biggest worry wasn't even messing up the peace treaty with Lexa and her people. It was coming back with news that might possibly disappoint her sister.

Raven stayed behind because of her injured leg and her duties that were needed at camp. Wick would pop his head in occasionally to talk to her, but for the most part she was working alone. Right about the time when Bellamy was supposed to check in, Clarke walked in.

Raven was able to make Bellamy's radio mobile with help from Maya. Now, Bellamy was traveling through Mount Weather's air vents looking for the lab.

"Okay, so tell us where you're at now," Raven says into the radio.

"I'm at an intersection," Bellamy says. "Which way do I go from here?"

Raven looks over at Clarke, "Okay. He just passed the air filtration system on this floor, which puts him about here." Raven points to the west side of her map of Mount Weather.

Clarke takes the radio, "Bellamy, we think you're close. The lab should be up ahead."

"Any chance you could be more specific?" Bellamy replies and then pauses. During that pause, there was a sound of drilling in the distance. "Never mind. I got this."

"Is that a drill?" Raven asks.

"Bone marrow extraction," Clarke comes to the realization.

"You ready for the last treatment you'll ever need, Lieutenant." Clarke's eyes grow wide when she hears Dr. Tsing's voice.

"You have no idea. I've waited my whole life to breathe fresh air," Emerson's voice responds to Tsing.

Clarke looks surprised. She really didn't think he was going to make it back alive. "That's Emerson."

Cage is the next one to talk. That sneaky bastard. "Let's get back to this secret army that she claims to have. She tell you anything that might help us find it?" The drilling continues, making it hard to hear Emerson's reply. Apparently is was hard to hear over there too because Cage says, "Stop drilling, please."

"The window for extraction after death is incredibly short," Dr. Tsing responds.

Clarke, Raven, and Bellamy freeze in their spots. They stop breathing and feel their heart race speed up. Dead? Mount Weather is actually killing their friends off one by one. What if this one was Jasper or Monty?

"I only need a minute," Cage says like its nothings.

"No, sir. Nothing about the army. She did say she was coming for you and that if we let her people go she'll let our people live." Emerson says.

"It's a little late for that," Cage sounds frustrated.

"I'm sorry I failed, sir."

"No, it's okay. We'll finish the job tonight. Whitman just radioed in. Apparently, there's a war council meeting happening tonight in one of their villages, and all the leaders are gonna be there."

"Sir, I feel good. Let me take a team out and support Whitman."

Cage was quick to respond, "No. He has less chance of being spotted if he's alone."

"Sir, Whitman's good, but he can't take out that many targets alone."

What Cage said next send shivers down their spines, paralyzing them with even greater fear. "Which is why we're gonna use a missile. This time, we're not gonna miss."

Clarke's mind immediately traces back to Casady who was probably arriving to Tondc any minute now—and she sent her. If something were to happen to her because of this missile, Clarke would never forgive herself—and frankly, neither would Bellamy.

"Please tell me you heard all that," Bellamy says, meaning he's stepped away after hearing too much.

"We heard it," Clarke says slowly. Every time she opens her mouth to speak she feels like she's going to vomit.

"We have to warn them," Raven says, thinking the same thing as Clarke.

"Did Kane take a radio?" Clarke asks.

"No. This is the only unjammed frequency. We have to keep it open for Bellamy," Raven shakes her head.

Clarke nods, trying to think of something quick. "If I leave now, I can make it there in time."

"In time to be blown up, you mean," Raven says, hating the idea of sending Clarke out there by herself.

"When I get back, I want to know our friends are safe and the acid fog is down. Can you handle that?"

Raven nods, "Yeah we can handle that. Go."

"Clarke, wait." Bellamy speaks up. "Octavia was in Tondc when I left. Is—is she, um…"

Another wave of guilt courses in Clarke's veins. She takes a deep breath to try and calm her shaking voice. "She's here. She's safe."

"And Cass?"

"Helping my mom in medical," Clarke lies. She bites her lip. "They're fine."

"Okay. Good." You could hear the relief wash through his voice. "Be safe, too."

"I will," Clarke nods, shutting off the radio.

"Both Octavia and Casady are in Tondc for the meeting," Raven narrows her eyes and shakes her head. "Why did you lie?"

Clarke moves to leave, "Bellamy can't get distracted. It helps no one."

"Hey!" Raven calls out to her. Clarke reluctantly turns around. "Don't get blown up."

* * *

 **CASADY'S POV:**

Tondc was filled with stressed out looking Grounders. There was not one Grounder that didn't have a job to do. The women who weren't primary soldiers were taking care of their children. The other men were creating small fires for food preparation, sharpening knives, and training to fight.

Luckily, it doesn't take me long to find Octavia. When I do spot her in the crowd, she looks to be having an intense conversation with Indra. I don't approach her until Indra leaves.

"Hey," I say. Some look of relief washes through her eyes when she sees me. "Everything okay?"

Octavia offers a weak smile. "Yeah, we were just talking about Lincoln." I nod. I kind of understood what Octavia was going through. Both of our boyfriends headed into the direction of Mount Weather together. However, she had it harder because I knew where Bellamy was because of Raven's radio. Octavia was left in the dark about Lincoln's whereabouts. "Where's Clarke? I thought she was supposed to be coming with you."

"Change of plans. Mount Weather is starting to make their moves on our friends. She wants to stay at Camp until she knows they're okay."

"Did you come here alone?"

"No, Kane's with me." I say, nodding in the other direction. "Surprisingly, he's a really chill guy. The ground changed him I guess."

"Yeah, well the ground has changed pretty much all of us. I mean, look at me." Octavia smirks down at her outfit. "Listen, I have to be on lookout with the other seconds, but promise me you'll be safe in that meeting."

"Yeah of course. Don't worry. I won't do anything stupid."

"All right. I love you. See you later."

"Love you too!" I call after her. She disappears behind the trees.

* * *

 **THIRD PERSON POV:**

Casady walks up to Kane who was talking to Lexa and her guards. The looks on their faces was calm, meaning they haven't started to discuss anything important without her.

"Hey, you ready to do this thing?" She asks. Lexa wasn't her favorite person from the Grounder clan. She couldn't shake off the feeling that Lexa might be hiding something. But she knew she had to act respectful towards the Grounders' leader for Clarke and for their treaty. So, she didn't question it.

"Where's Clarke?" Lexa asks, not bothering with a greeting.

"Kane didn't tell you? She stayed back at camp to hear more about our friends at Mount Weather. The Mountain Men are starting to make advances towards our people. She couldn't leave knowing they were getting hurt. Looks like your stuck with me." Casady couldn't help the sarcastic smirk that pulled on her lips when she noticed Lexa's annoyed expression.

Meanwhile, in the woods Octavia was dealing with the other Grounders' seconds taunting her, telling her she's not as qualified as they are because she's one of the sky people. A couple of minutes later, she was shocked to see Clarke riding into camp on horseback.

"Clarke, you made it." Octavia says. "Casady said you weren't coming."

"I need you to take me to Lexa," Clarke says immediately.

Octavia could sense panic in Clarke's voice. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Clarke says, but Octavia knew she was lying, and Clarke knew she didn't sound too convincing either.

"Is Bellamy okay? Did he get the acid fog down?" Octavia starts to walk Clarke to where Lexa, Kane, and Casady were standing.

"He's working on it."

They approach the trio. Casady and Kane look confused to see her, but Lexa looks pleased. Clarke tries her best to keep her face calm but she felt like she may explode any second. Her time limit was running low and fast.

"Clarke of the Sky People has honored us with her presence," Lexa nods.

Casady turns to look at Lexa, "How come I didn't get that honorable announcement."

Lexa doesn't say anything. She just looks at the young girl with narrowed eyes.

"I'm sorry I'm late commander," Clarke says, which confuses Casady even more because Clarke was never even planning to appear.

"You made good time," Kane nods, finding nothing unusual with Clarke's presence. "I assume the kids at Mount Weather are okay?"

"For now," Clarke nods and turns towards Lexa. "Can we talk in private?"

Lexa glances at her body guards and nods. "Yes. This way."

Lexa leads Clarke into the dining room the two groups used after Finn's death to celebrate their alliance. Of course, the dinner didn't end up happening, but instead Raven was almost murdered and the alliance had almost gone up in flames…which is what's going to happen to Tondc if Clarke doesn't do something quick.

Clarke tries to quickly explain what she, Raven, and Bellamy had overheard from Mount Weather. She skipped the part about the bone marrow extraction and went straight towards the missile, saying how they didn't have much time until the rocket hit the ground.

"A missile? Your're sure?" Lexa questions.

"Yes. We have to start evacuating now," Clarke demands.

"No," Lexa says, making Clarke's eyes go wide and her heart skip a beat.

"What do you mean no, Lexa?"

"If we evacuate, they'll know we have a spy inside their walls," Lexa explains, making a point, but not valid enough for everyone to stay at camp.

"Not necessarily," Clarke argues.

"We can't risk it," Lexa turns around to pace the room and think of something else.

"What's the point of having an inside man if we can't act on what he tells us?"

"Is the acid fog disabled? Is our sleeping army uncaged?" Clarke doesn't answer, which gives Lexa her answer. "Then Bellamy's job is not done. Without him, we can't win this war."

"So what are you saying? We just do nothing, let them bomb us?"

"It will be a blow, but our army will be safe inside the woods, and it will inspire them."

"And what about us?" Clarke questions.

Lexa knew that Clarke wasn't going to like her answer, but her idea was their best solution. "We slip away right now." Lexa hands Clarke a dark green scarf. "Put this on."

"Lexa, wait. You don't understand. I provoked Mount Weather. I sent a message to distract them from Bellamy."

"Clarke, sometimes, you have to concede a battle to win a war."

Clarke shakes her head in denial that this was their best plan. "No. We can inform the leaders of the clans, pick a rendezvous point in the woods. Each of them can slip out separately."

"And how many more people will they tell? Where do we draw the line?" Lexa questions, knowing Clarke's plan wouldn't work.

"Well, then cancel the meeting, start a fire, something!" Clarke yells in full on panic mode.

"Clarke, we don't have time for this!"

"No, no! This is wrong!" Clarke fights. She was fighting so hard because she knew she was going to lose this battle with herself and end up following Lexa.

"It's also our only choice, and you know it. You could have warned everyone up there, but you didn't. You said nothing, not even to your own people—your own sister. This is war, Clarke. People die. You showed true strength today. Don't let emotions stop you now. It's time to go."

"My sister is out there!" Clarke whimpers.

"I'm sorry, Clarke. But we need to go now."

Clarke turns around to glance one last time at the door where Kane and Casady were standing, waiting. She had a silent battle in her mind on whether to listen to Lexa or listen to her heart. Unfortunately, she followed Lexa out the back door, wrapping the scarf around her head.

* * *

Back at Camp Jaha, Bellamy had called into Raven again. Raven couldn't keep still knowing that her friends were standing around in the area where Mount Weather planned on bombing. If Clarke doesn't get there on time, her friends were as good as dead.

"Talk to me. What do you see?" Raven asks through the radio.

"Close your eyes. Imagine a bottomless pit." Bellamy answers, walking through Mount Weather's tunnels.

"Just stick with it. According to Dante's coordinates, you're almost there."

"What's happening on your end? Did they evacuate Tondc?"

"Don't know yet, but it's Clarke. She'll get it done. Just concentrate on squeezing your ass through that vent and stop worrying about your girls." As soon as Raven said it, she regretted opening her mouth on that last sentence, giving away Clarke's secret.

Bellamy catches it and stops where he is. "My girls?" He repeats. "They're in Tondc? They're there?" Raven doesn't answer, and she can sense the panic rising in Bellamy's voice. She mentally face palms. "Raven."

"They're gonna be okay. Clarke fired out of here. She's gonna get there on time."

"How could you keep this from me?" Bellamy felt betrayed and lied to. And he was pissed that it was about Octavia and Casady—the two people he should never be in the dark about.

"Clarke was trying to protect you. Listen. You still have a job to do. I know you're worried about Octavia and Cass, but you have to focus."

Now annoyed with nothing else on his mind but his girls, Bellamy rolls his eyes and mutters, "Let's just get this done."

* * *

As Clarke and Lexa travel deeper into the woods and further away from Tondc, Clarke can't stop herself from looking back at the camp and letting the guilt course through her.

"Clarke, we have to keep moving. We're not far enough away. The last time they used a missile, it was before I was born. According to legend, it left a hole in the woods you could not see across. Now let's go."

"What if we made them miss?" Clarke asks as a final try to dissuade Lexa from escaping.

"You're not listening," Lexa steps closer to Clarke. "With a weapon like that, you can't miss."

"Yes, you can. I heard them talking about a spotter, someone in the field to aim the missile. If we could just find him…" Clarke stops talking as she spots her mother walking through Tondc. "No. What's she doing here?"

Clarke starts running back to Tondc, ignoring Lexa's calls for her to stop.

When Clarke reaches Tondc again, she grabs her mother's arm forcefully and shoves her up against a wall. Luckily, no one has spotted either of them. Clarke looks at her mother with panic in her eyes.

"Mom, what are you doing here? I told you to stay back at camp."

"Enough, Clarke." Abby snaps, having enough of Clarke bossing her around. "I'm the Chancellor. I don't need your permission to go—"

"No," Clarke cuts her off, pulling her mother off the wall. "We have to leave now."

"What is going on?" Abby says, trying to shrug her daughter off of her arm.

"We can't be here. Mom, I am begging you. Please. Come on."

Abby senses the panic in Clarke's expressions and reluctantly follows Clarke into the woods.

* * *

Back in Tondc, Kane, Casady, and Indra walk into the dining station where Clarke and Lexa had gone to have their private talk. The three of them and some other Grounder guards decided to check in on Lexa and Clarke after thinking their private meeting had gone on for too long. They wanted to make sure they were okay.

To their surprise, Clarke and Lexa were nowhere to be found.

"Where's the Commander?" Indra turns to look at Kane and Casady as if their disappearance was their fault. "Where's Clarke?"

"I don't know," Kane answers calmly, after watching Casady's eyes narrow and her mind rake for a sarcastic response. "Last time I saw them, they were heading downstairs."

"They're not there now," Indra points out.

"Thank you Captain—"

"We should search the woods," Kane cuts Casady off and gives her a warning look.

"I agree," Indra nods.

"I'll tell the others," Kane says. "Casady, follow me."

Casady silently groans, preparing herself for the short lecture Kane was going to give her about respect. But her biggest worry was Clarke somewhere out there with Lexa all alone. She quietly followed Kane and anxiously waited to search the woods for her sister.

* * *

After running about a mile away from Tondc, Abby had enough of the running and secrets and pulled herself to a stop.

"Wait!" Abby calls out to Clarke.

Clarke turns around frantically, "No. We can't stop. There's no time!"

"I am not taking a step further until you tell me what is happening," Abby demands.

Clarke doesn't have time to respond. Above them and through the trees, the missile swooshes past them. They duck at the loud noise and turn their heads to follow the rocket hit the middle of Tondc.

The ground below them shakes and the heat from the explosion rushes past them. Clarke and Abby tumble to the ground. Their ears ring with a deafening high pitch tone from the trauma of the blast. Soon, the ringing fades away and is replaced with the muffled screaming and moaning of the people in Tondc.

Abby feels frozen in her spot on the ground, coming to the realization that Clarke was well aware of the missile and left her people in Tondc without any warning. She was terrified of who her daughter had become.

"Mom. Mom, are you okay?" Clarke says faintly. "Oh my god. Come on. We can't be here. We—we have to go."

"You knew," Abby says slowly, pulling herself up. "You knew and you let this happen?"

"We had no choice," Clarke cries.

"So many people. Our people—" Abby's eyes go wide at the thought of Casady and Kane being in the middle of the blast. "Your sister!"

Abby quickly moves to run back into Tondc. Her mind racked with all the terrible images of Casady after the explosion. Tears began to gather in her eyes as she thought of losing her daughter forever. There were so many things Abby wanted to say to Casady. She just never had the time. She wanted a relationship with Casady like the one Abby had with Clarke back on the Ark. She felt like she had missed out on an opportunity to be close with Casady, her second daughter, and she hated it.

"We had to protect Bellamy!" Clarke calls after her. "Without him—"

Abby whips around, "Oh, stop it! I don't want to hear it!"

"Mom…"

"Tell me this was Lexa. Please, Clarke. Please tell me this wasn't you."

"I wish I could. You can't tell anyone about this. If anyone finds out that we knew, the alliance of the twelve clans will break. We'll lose the war."

"You crossed the line."

"Mom!"

"Their blood is on your hands, and even if we win, I'm afraid you won't be able to wash it off this time. Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me." Abby's tone was filled with hatred and disappointment.

* * *

Octavia was with Lincoln when the missile hit Tondc. She found him hunched over one of the seconds looking Reaperlike. Octavia was fearful to approach him, but she did and explained to Lincoln that Bellamy was safe after Lincoln admitted it was his fault Bellamy was captured.

Octavia and Lincoln sprinted back to camp after the explosion. Their hearts raced as they climbed the rubble and look over the debris of what used to be Tondc. There were no signs of homes. The only sounds that could be heard were of people's cries, moans, and screams. Several fires illuminated the scene. Blood, bones, and body parts were scattered across the ground. They couldn't seem to find one person unharmed. Never had they ever seen anything like it. They were frozen in place, terrified to move. Mount Weather was brutal, and they had no issue proving it.


End file.
